Channing Tatum Teases a Potential Return to Jump Street

Channing Tatum has opened up a small chance that he could still return to one of his best franchises: 21 Jump Street. Although it has been a decade since Tatum last played the character of Jenko in the movies based on the ’80s TV series of the same name, word of an amazing script for another sequel has been doing the rounds for some time. Now it seems that Tatum could have just teased that a third movie is still possible.

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller made a real splash with their live action directorial debut in 21 Jump Street. A brilliant reworking of an IP that had become more of a punchline than anything else, it was one of the best studio comedies of the 2010s, if not the very best. Then, 22 Jump Street showed not only that comedy sequels can be as good as the original, but even more heartfelt. It was also a solid early role for Wyatt Russell, who threatens the endearing bromance between Jonah Hill’s Schmidt and Tatum’s Jenko.

And, impressively enough, the sequel outgrossed its predecessor by over $130 million worldwide. This begs the question as to why a third film not only wasn’t rushed into production, but hasn’t experienced any forward momentum in the 10 years since 22 Jump Street‘s release.

However, while promoting his new movie, Fly Me to the Moon, Tatum has tantalizingly suggested that the script exists for that third outing for the Jump Street crew – so does this mean it will finally be made, or are we just looking at the last misty-eyed reflection on what might have been? Speaking to Comicbook.com, Tatum revealed his opinion on the strength of the third film’s script.

There is a project that was written, and it’s still the best script that I’ve ever read for a third movie.

One thing that Tatum does not make clear, is whether this script is for a straight-up sequel, or is it the fabled crossover movie with Men in Black that was first mentioned in a 2014 Sony Pictures hack? That is something it looks like we can only speculate on for now.

Why Didn’t We Get a Third Jump Street? MiB 23 or Otherwise?

Given the financial prospects of a third film, why didn’t another trip to Jump Street ever materialize? Tatum’s Fly Me to the Moon co-star, Scarlett Johansson, asked the same question during their shared interview.

It’s just a lot of bureaucracy, kind of above the line stuff. It’s really hard to get it made, and we’ve been trying to get it done.

Hill and Tatum have continued to be major players in Hollywood, and their box office potential is as high now as it was in the 2010s, so the studio has little reason not to pursue a trilogy-capper. It really comes down to the duo’s willingness to star in it more than anything else. And, during the interview, Tatum revealed just how much interest he has in the project.

You know what, I’m going to put some good juju out there and I’m going to say I would love to see 23 Jump Street. I would love to do it with Jonah, and Jonah I know wants to do it. We would love to just get to go play again.

Long story short, both Tatum and Hill have their eyes set on reprising their roles. And given the former’s faith in the script, there seems to be precious little reason not to move forward. Fans have certainly been sharing their enthusiasm for such a project after Tatum’s comments hit social media, as you can see in these posts.

In the meantime, Fly Me to the Moon is released on July 12, and you can check out the trailer for the movie below.