All of a sudden the sequel to Wall Street got interesting. Oliver Stone has signed on to direct the movie, making this his first ever sequel. And it also makes Wall Street 2 (previously titled Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) something more than a cynical cash in on a movie title that has grown in cult value over the years.
At least I think it has. Stone was not interested in doing the sequel until just now; apparently it was the latest draft of the script from Allan Loeb that convinced him to come back. Of course, it could also be the way that W. never quite took off – Wall Street 2 could be commercial enough to give him the chance to do other, edgier movies that have been getting out of his range as his name has lost some of its box office zing.
Even if that’s the case, who cares? Stone’s a great director, and I’m interested in seeing him tackling the current fiscal crisis using the character of Gordon Gekko. Michael Douglas has signed on to revisit the role that won him an Oscar so many years ago.
And just because it’s the 21st century, Shia Labeouf is in talks to join the film; while the plot of the movie is unknown (previous drafts opened with Gekko getting out of jail, but who knows what’s up now), it is known that there’s a role for a Gekko protege. Wait, is this Wall Street 2 or a remake of Wall Street? Finally we may have a level playing ground upon which to compare The Beef and Charlie Sheen.
All of this comes via The Hollywood Reporter and Entertainment Weekly.