A Mile 22 sequel has been in the works for multiple years, but it still hasn't moved forward yet. Peter Berg's 94-minute spy thriller released in summer 2018 and was heavily criticized for being too messy. The director had previously collaborated with Mark Wahlberg for several hit films; however, the negative reviews for Mile 22 suggested the duo missed the mark and didn't create enough buzz to warrant a sequel.
Mile 22 follows an elite CIA squad called Overwatch. Led by James Silva (Wahlberg), the team kills several Russians who plan to distribute cesium, and he later comes face-to-face with an asset from Indocarr, Li Noor (Iko Uwais), who makes a deal to gain safe passage out of his country. Silva agrees to escort Noor on a 22-mile journey to a departing airplane, with the mutual understanding being that Overwatch will receive a disc with intel on a cesium operation. The CIA's plan goes horribly wrong, leaving Silva to think about his actions from past missions.
Produced for between $35-60 million, Mile 22 barely outperformed its budget with a $66 million box office haul. Berg and Wahlberg had previously collaborated for relatively low-budget and well-received productions such as Lone Survivor and Patriots Day, but their spy film favors bravado over strong narrative structure. So it's possible that's why a Mile 22 sequel is taking so long.
Two months before Mile 22 released in August 2018, STX Entertainment announced that Extraction writer Umair Aleem had been hired to write a sequel. THR described the move as "premature" but cited the studio's success with the Bad Moms movie franchise. The initial announcement shows that STX Entertainment was fully confident in Berg and Wahlberg's ability to produce a hit, as Mile 22 was intended to launch a trilogy (via Variety).
More than 2 years after the initial Mile 22 sequel announcement, it's unclear if the film will still be made. The negative reviews of the first installment may have forced STX Entertainment to re-evaluate their Mile 22 trilogy plans, so 2019 may have involved pre-production tweaks and screenplay changes. When COVID-19 emerged, STX Entertainment presumably shelved the Mile 22 sequel or at least didn't feel the need to officially cancel it.
Now that the movie industry appears to be moving forward and embracing a streaming distribution model, the Mile 22 sequel could theoretically begin shooting in 2021 and finish by the end of the year. In a best case scenario, the film would release during summer 2022, but it's certainly possible that a Mile 22 sequel won't premiere until 2023. As of now, STX Entertainment's plans remain unclear.
If the Mile 22 sequel does happen, it will presumably pick up right after the events of the original film. Noor is revealed to be a triple agent who was hired by the Russians to punish Silva (and Overwatch) for killing the son of high-ranking official (as seen at the beginning of the film). So, Overwatch was doomed from the start. In the Mile 22 sequel, Silva will most likely track down Noor, along with any other enemies who may have betrayed his trust.
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November 07, 2020 at 05:17AM
