Will There Be A Project Power Sequel? Here's What We Know

(Welcome to Will There Be a Sequel?, a series where we answer that question and explore what comes next.)

"Project Power" was released by Netflix at the tail end of last summer. The summer moviegoing season in 2020, for painfully obvious reasons, was sorely lacking in the typical superhero/comic book movie fare. Though not based in the universes of Marvel or DC, this movie attempted to fill that void. Now, more than a year later, we're still left to wonder, is "Project Power 2" going to happen? While we don't have a definitive answer, for the time being, we are going to go over what we know currently.

Here is what we know about the prospect of a "Project Power" sequel.

"Project Power" is an original superhero movie that was produced by Netflix. It stars Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Dominique Fishback in the lead roles. It was directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, with Mattson Tomlin handling the script. It is important to point out that Tomlin co-wrote "The Batman," the much-anticipated DC flick hitting theaters next year.

Just so everyone is on the same page, here is the synopsis for "Project Power:"

On the streets of New Orleans, word begins to spread about a mysterious new pill that unlocks superpowers unique to each user. The catch: You don't know what will happen until you take it. While some develop bulletproof skin, invisibility, and super strength, others exhibit a deadlier reaction. But when the pill escalates crime within the city to dangerous levels, a local cop (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) teams with a teenage dealer (Dominique Fishback) and a former soldier fueled by a secret vendetta (Jamie Foxx) to fight power with power and risk taking the pill in order to track down and stop the group responsible for creating it.

Shortly after the original was released, Mattson Tomlin spoke a bit about the prospect of "Project Power 2" and what that might look like. Ultimately, according to Tomlin, the sequel would explore the far-reaching legend of the power pill. Speaking to Polygon, Tomlin had the following to say:

"There were a lot of conversations specifically about the power pill. Is it something that the whole world knows about? Is it something that everybody has? Is it urban legend? And through the development we were always putting that on the table, and judging if we were making the right choices. We ended up where we ended up, in large part because we wanted to be able to go somewhere in the event that we're lucky enough to do sequel. For me, [Power] is urban legend and people aren't quite sure. And that means there's a very exciting opportunity: How does the world change once everybody knows that this exists? It will change the fabric of how all of life is potentially lived. And I think that that's a really cool place to go."

For the moment, no official decision has been made one way or the other regarding a "Project Power" sequel. For what it's worth, the movie divided critics, currently sitting at 61% on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience rating is an un-encouraging 47%. When it comes to building franchises in-house, Netflix tends to go where the audience goes.

Despite the mixed response, "Project Power" seemingly performed quite well. Netflix isn't overly transparent with its streaming figures but the movie spent 10 days in the number one spot on the service's Top 10 list. At the time, the only other movie to accomplish that same feat was "Spenser Confidential." It's worth pointing out that a sequel to "Spenser Confidential" is reportedly happening, as per director Peter Berg.

From an investment standpoint, the movie came with a budget said to be in the $85 million range. Netflix has deep pockets. No doubt about that. However, if the final product divided audiences that sharply, a sequel might be viewed as risky. Where does that leave us? On frustratingly uncertain ground. Though the circumstantial evidence does point, in my humble opinion, every so slightly against a sequel at this point. Time will tell if I'm wrong on that one.

"Project Power" is streaming on Netflix.