Edge Of Tomorrow Fans' Hopes And Dreams Might Still Be Alive

Many science fiction films rely on pre-release buzz for their success — audiences are often already familiar with the property, and excited for it to hit theaters. This is not the case, however, for "Edge of Tomorrow," an extraterrestrial combat film starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt that employs a narrative time loop to great effect. Box office forecasters may have been worried about what its reception would look like, since audiences didn't seem to know about it prior to its release.

But their fears were in vain — "Edge of Tomorrow" ended up having tremendous word-of-mouth, slowly but steadily making a profit for its studio and eventually earning a not-too-shabby $370 million worldwide. The next question for fans became whether or not it would be given a sequel, like so many other sci-fi properties. In the 10 years since its initial release, we haven't seen much solid evidence to suggest that a second film will get made — until now.

In a recent issue of Total Film, "Edge of Tomorrow" director Doug Liman teased the possibility of a sequel, claiming that there has been interest from the studio in getting the band together again. "There's no better compliment than Warner Bros. constantly bringing up, 'Will you go and make another one of these?'" Interest is one thing, but whether a sequel will actually materialize is anyone's guess.

"Edge of Tomorrow" swept audiences off their feet, and after it was released in 2014, it didn't take long for the conversations about a potential sequel to begin. In late 2015, it seemed as though Warner Bros. was going full steam ahead — writer Christopher McQuarrie told Collider that they had an idea in mind for the sequel, while Deadline reported in April 2016 that Doug Liman had signed on to direct and two screenwriters, Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse, were brought on board. Later that year, Liman teased the sequel to Collider, saying, "[Edge of Tomorrow] is the only sequel that I'm considering doing, and it's because first of all the story is so amazing — much better than the original film, and I loved and loved the original film — and second of all, it's a sequel that's a prequel."

From there, it appeared to be just a matter of getting schedules lined up — no small feat when your main players are as in demand as Doug Liman, Tom Cruise, and Emily Blunt. The project sat on the proverbial shelf for years, waiting for a time when everyone was available at the same time. In a 2021 interview on "The Howard Stern Show," Emily Blunt explained that they were all interested in making a sequel, but also expressed doubt that it would happen, saying, "Honestly, I just think the movie's too expensive. I don't know how we're going to do it."

However, in January 2024, it was announced that Tom Cruise signed a new deal with Warner Bros., which could increase our chances of seeing this thing actually get made.

A traditional theatrical release isn't the only way that Warner Brothers could turn the standalone "Edge of Tomorrow" film into a franchise — they could also create a spinoff television series. In fact, all the evidence suggests that they were in the pre-production process for just such a venture in 2022, before they were sued by the "Edge of Tomorrow" production company Village Roadshow. While the lawsuit primarily revolved around financial damages as a result of the Warner Bros. strategy of releasing blockbuster films like "The Matrix Resurrections" in theaters and on MAX at the same time, it also commented on the development of future "Edge of Tomorrow" properties. 

In their statement (as reported in The Playlist), the production studio claimed that while Warner Bros. began production on an "Edge of Tomorrow" television series, they tried to force Village Roadshow to give up their financial claim to any potential spin-offs or sequels. It went on to say, "When Village Roadshow refused, WB said the quiet part out loud: it will not allow Village Roadshow to benefit from any of its Derivative Rights going forward, despite the over $4.5 billion it has paid WB to make and distribute 91 films. In other words, if Village Roadshow won't give up its rights, WB will make sure they are worth nothing."

With this conflict over ownership in mind, it seems likely that — although Warner Bros. has expressed interest in making another "Edge of Tomorrow" film or series — the potential for further lawsuits could prevent them from moving forward. After all, there's nothing a movie studio wants less than a sticky legal mess.