The film industry has been discussing the possibility of a sequel to The Greatest Showman for over five years now. The movie was a huge success, grossing $435 million worldwide and winning accolades such as the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and the Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. Despite the first film wrapping up Barnum’s story neatly, the movie’s triumph could inspire producers to continue the tale. Let’s explore the potential for a sequel.
Will There Be A Sequel For The Greatest Showman?
Well, it is a bit tricky. There are no official announcements yet, but everyone is open to the possibility, and there have been reports about early talks and work about a sequel.
Take it from the very own director of the film Michael Gracey, who said that a demand for a sequel is only natural for a movie that big.
“When a movie becomes as big a success as this, it’s only natural there is a demand for a sequel. So those discussions have started, and we are working on one right now,” Gracey told The Sun in 2019.
Zac Efron also dropped hints during The Graham Norton Show on 26 April 2020, which further fueled the rumors. The actor who plays Phillip Carlyle revealed that Hugh Jackman is “working on all sorts of things including a one-man show. What’s next? I don’t know, but I hope there is a sequel.”
For years, we remained hopeful that a sequel will happen. However, a Hugh Jackman interview broke our hearts.
While promoting his film Reminiscence, Hugh Jackman was asked about the possibility of The Greatest Showman sequel.
Jackman said that he doesn’t think The Greatest Showman 2 will happen.
“I don’t know, I don’t think so. There’s no script. I don’t know what’s happening with that.” Jackman told LadBible in August 2021.
“And you know, this was a Fox movie that is now a Disney movie, right? So I don’t know what the plan is. I haven’t heard anything. Honestly, I haven’t heard anything.
“But it did take us eight years to get that first movie made, you know, to create and write music and build it. So if there’s going to be a sequel, and I’m not going to be on a Zimmer frame, we better get going.”
Michelle Williams recently confirmed that she’d be interested in returning as Charity Barnum.
Back in May 2022, Hugh Jackman was asked by People, about what Michelle Williams said and if he’d be interested in returning as well. The actor said:
“Listen, if you know anything about my filmography, you’d know I’m totally against sequels in every shape or form. No more than nine films! I’m always open, if they come up with a good idea. Yeah, I’m open!”
Who Could Be in The Cast Of The Greatest Showman 2?
The Greatest Showman would not be the same without Hugh Jackman in the lead. The actor played the role of an ambitious showman and entrepreneur P. T. Barnum, who created the Barnum’s American Museum.
However, Jackman himself is not sure if he will be reprising his role should there be a sequel to the film, despite Efron’s previous statement.
Speaking to BBC Radio about his possible return, the actor revealed: “The real answer is “could be,” I’m not sure. I’m being completely honest with you, there is talk of something going around, but no one is really sure… They’re working on a treatment for something.”
Unless we get an official announcement about the sequel, the casting details will remain unknown.
The Greatest Showman was a star-studded film with Hugh Jackman as P. T. Barnum, Zac Efron as Phillip Carlyle, Michelle Williams as Charity Hallett-Barnum, Rebecca Ferguson as Jenny Lind, Zendaya as Anne Wheeler, Keala Settle as Lettie Lutz, a bearded lady, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as W. D. Wheeler among others.
We will have to wait for further casting announcements to find out who among the cast members will reprise their roles should there be a sequel.
When Will The Greatest Showman 2 Release?
There is no official announcement about a sequel yet, but we could take a good guess based on the previous schedule of the first film.
The first film was released in theaters in December 2017, around a year after they began shooting.
So a sequel is likely to drop in the same month too. A movie this big would surely want to make the most of the holiday season. The only question left is what year. Once the sequel begins production, we could finally come up with an anticipated release date.
Do not worry because we will keep you posted with the latest updates.
The Plot: What Could Happen In The Greatest Showman 2?
Possible plot details remain scarce as of this writing, but we have a couple of possible storylines that the sequel could pursue.
The Greatest Showman is inspired by the story of P. T. Barnum’s creation of Barnum’s American Museum. It also took an intimate look at the lives of its star attractions.
The sequel could feature certain moments in Barnum’s time while running the circus. There are also a lot of aspects in Barnum’s life that were not given much focus in the first film. This could be further explored in the sequel, or they could put the fictional character of Zac Efron in the spotlight this time.
Of course, these are all early theories for now.