Inside Man was Spike Lee’s most successful film, earning 180+ million dollars worldwide. Watching the DVD recently I was still amazed that Spike was able to make a pretty mainstream thriller that still feels very much like a Spike Lee movie – this is a text book example of how a director can apply his style and themes to anything. Way to be an auteur, Spike.
But can he do it again? He and Brian Grazer seem to think so – they’re developing a sequel. The details are being kept top secret, but they’re bringing in original screenwriter Russell Gewirtz to write the thing. Nobody’s saying if Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster or Clive Owens’ characters will be returning, but any of those three would make sense.
Inside Man 2 would be a first for Spike – his first sequel. Obviously you have to wonder if the film needs a sequel*, and if that sequel could pack the same kind of unexpected punch that the original film did. We’ll find out eventually – Spike is currently mulling over whether to make this his next film. He has a Spielbergian number of potential next projects, though, so who knows what will happen.
* It doesn’t.