A sequel to Dave Chappelle’s stoner comedy Half Baked has been on the cards since late last year and those plans won’t be going up in smoke, from the look of things. This week, the project was chosen as one of the recipients of the $40 million in tax credit allocated by the California Film Commission, which should help it move forward as planned.
According to MovieWeb, production on the sequel will need to begin in the next 180 days to make it eligible for the state tax credit. The same report also revealed some extra tidbits about the follow-up, confirming that it will take place in Los Angeles and follow the son of Chappelle’s Thurgood Jenkins from the first film.
Word of the new protagonist comes as no surprise, as Chappelle is not expected to be involved in Half Baked 2, having distanced himself from the first movie and expressed his disappointment at how it turned out. It’s unclear whether his co-stars Jim Breuer, Guillermo Diaz and Harland Williams will be involved and if so, in what capacity, but no doubt the production team will want at least some of the talent from the original to return.
Though critics panned Half Baked when it was released back in 1998 and it wasn’t exactly a juggernaut at the box office, it went on to become a cult smash thanks to strong DVD and home video sales. As such, anticipation for the sequel is now quite high.
Unfortunately, not much else has been confirmed about Half Baked 2, beyond Justin Hires being brought in to write the screenplay. With some key funding now in place, though, maybe casting and directorial announcements won’t be too far away. Watch this space for more.