14 years after the first movie’s release, Real Steel 2 gets a disappointing update from director Shawn Levy. Released in 2011, Real Steel grossed a modest $299 million at the box office, but it has since become a fan-favorite entry in Hugh Jackman’s filmography, with continued demand for a return to the movie’s sci-fi world.
After some false starts in recent years, including a potential TV show, Levy now splashes cold water on the idea of more Real Steel happening in an interview with Collider. Though Levy doesn’t totally dismiss the potential for a sequel or TV show, he certainly suggests that he’s not optimistic that this franchise will return. Check out his comment below:
“I have to credit you, Frosty, because you are tenacious. I feel like we’re going to be old men, and you’re still going to be asking me about Real Steel, which I love you for. The status is unclear, and boy, I wish that I felt it was more likely to happen than I’m currently feeling it is.”
Talk of Real Steel 2 has been ongoing now for at least a decade. Levy has consistently expressed interest in returning to that world, and the release of Deadpool & Wolverine last year only added fuel to the fire. During promotion for their MCU collaboration, Levy told ScreenRant that he and Jackman “always talk about Real Steel 2. Because the world won’t let us forget, and I’m glad for that.“
That positive update from Levy in April 2024 came two years after Variety reported that a Real Steel TV show was in the works. The report claimed that a Disney+ show set in that world was in development and that Levy was on board to produce. There was no writer attached at that point, however, and the project seemingly has fallen by the wayside in the years since.
Made on an estimated budget of $110 million, the film’s $299 million global haul makes it a success, but maybe not as big of a hit as Disney was hoping for. The story of Jackman’s ex-boxer and his quest to achieve robot boxing success with a discarded robot, though, struck a chord with viewers.
Despite lukewarm Rotten Tomatoes scores of 60% from critics and 73% from audiences, Real Steel became a global Netflix hit in June 2024, speaking to the film’s lasting appeal more than a decade later. Evidently, though, this wasn’t enough to help a sequel or a TV show get across the finish line.
With Levy’s latest update, it seems unlikely audiences will see Jackman back as Charlie Kenton alongside other cast members like Anthony Mackie, Evangeline Lilly, Dakota Goyo, and Kevin Durand. Though the director doesn’t completely shut the door on more Real Steel, those who enjoyed the first film certainly shouldn’t be holding their breath for a sequel or TV expansion.
- Release Date
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October 7, 2011
- Runtime
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127 minutes
- Writers
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John Gatins