Home Movies

Script For Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 2 Is Complete, But Will Jeremy Renner Return?

It appears as though pre-development has stalled on writer-director Tommy Wirkola’s project, who recently spoke with Shock Till You Drop about the status of the sequel.

Hansel and Gretel 10

Recommended Videos

What falters on home soil may do surprisingly well overseas: that appears to be Hollywood’s new safety net of sorts, with notable releases such as Rush, Pacific Rim and, crucially, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters all gaining more than 70% of their box office take from international markets.

In fact, the latter’s overseas performance — which saw its total earnings triple to $225.7 million — warranted the commission of a direct sequel. And so, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 2 was born.

Only, it appears as though pre-development has stalled on writer-director Tommy Wirkola’s project, who recently spoke with Shock Till You Drop about the status of the sequel.

“I’ve written the script for it. I’ve given it to Paramount and it’s up to them now. But I don’t know what’s going to happen. “Jeremy [Renner] is so busy these days, I don’t know how they’re going to juggle all of that, but it’s up to [Paramount]. We’ll see.”

Alas, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 2 seems to hinge on whether the studio can lure Jeremy Renner and his co-star Gemma Arterton — who played the titular siblings for the 2013 release — back for a second helping. Currently, Wirkola is promoting another sequel, Dead Snow 2: Red Vs. Dead, and he touched upon how his work on the Norwegian zombie film has honed his skills as a filmmaker.

“Hopefully, I’ll get to do another film first. They really liked the script I gave them. The first film was a learning curve for me working in the studio system and the script I wrote for the original was so different. We ended up taking a lot out and altering stuff that first time. I’m smarter now. I tried taking what I learned and still delivered a sequel script that’s an R-rated action film.”

With the fate of Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 2 now firmly in the hands of the studio, tell us, would you like to set the return of Renner and Arterton’s bounty hunter duo? Let us know in the comments section below.