Scarlett Johansson's $464 Million Action Movie Is Still Ripe For A Sequel 10 Years Later (2024)

One of Scarlett Johansson's breakout movies was wildly successful at the box office and is still deserving of a sequel 10 years after its initial release. Johansson made a name for herself as an action movie actor with her role as Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Her impressive acrobatics and physical abilities made Black Widow one of the best Avengers in the MCU, and a fan favorite, and proved she could lead an action franchise by herself.

Her role as Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was hugely popular, and the character did eventually receive a solo film, but Johansson never got her own action franchise. Now that Johansson has left Marvel and her time in the role is over, her chances at a franchise have to come from somewhere else. Luckily, one of Johansson's previous movies would be perfect for a sequel, even after a decade has passed since its release.

Lucy's Success Proves It Should've Become A Scarlett Johansson Action Franchise

Lucy followed Lucy, a woman who was forced into becoming a drug mule. She wasn't moving ordinary drugs, though, and when she was exposed to them, she began to gain more control over her own brain, which granted her sci-fi powers like reality manipulation. Lucy made over $464 million globally at the box office (via Box Office Mojo) against a budget of only $40 million, proving it was a wildly successful film. The film's popularity, profitability, visual effects, and incredible fight scenes should have been enough to make Lucy into an action franchise for Scarlett Johansson, and it still could spawn one.

Part of Lucy's success was how well the film executed its premise and tied its science fiction elements into the core theme of the movie. Lucy's expanding mind perfectly mirrored the Big Bang she witnessed at the ending of Lucy, and her connection to the first human keeps in line with the film's theme of humanity's evolution. Her final scene saw Lucy access 100% of her brain power and disappear from reality, indicating that she transcended both space and time. Lucy had a lot of positive aspects that made it successful, and the ending also set up a potential sequel.

How Lucy 2 Can Still Happen 10 Years After The Original's Ending

Though she transcended time and space, leaving her physical body behind, Lucy could still make a return 10 years after the movie's release because of the flash drive she left for Professor Norman. Lucy left behind a flash drive when she reached 100% brain capacity to help Norman usher in a new era of humanity, one where everyone had access to all of their brain functions. Implementing the species' evolution would take a long time and be extremely difficult, meaning Norman would likely need help, which could set up Lucy 2.

Lucy left her physical body behind at the end of the movie, but Johansson could still reprise the role. It was shown that while Lucy was in a higher plane of existence, she could still manipulate the physical world. Her huge amounts of power would likely mean Lucy could create a physical body for herself while still retaining the abilities she gained. Lucy could return to the physical world after Norman discovered the secret to human evolution. Living in another plane of reality is a daunting prospect, and Lucy could help the newly powerful humans find their footing.

Whatever path a potential Lucy 2 would take would also bring more chances to explore the movie's world. Lucy only reached 100% of her capacity in the final minutes of the movie, which gave the impression that she only scratched the surface of her powers. A sequel to Lucy would be a chance to give more insight into Lucy's powers and even establish new ones she acquired after transcending from her physical form. The world of Lucy still has more stories to be told, and a new spinoff show promises to tell them.

The Lucy Franchise Is Expanding Without Scarlett Johansson

A Lucy spinoff show is in development with Morgan Freeman set to reprise his role as Professor Norman. No plot details have been confirmed for the show yet, but it seems likely it will depict Norman's attempts to use Lucy's flash drive and help humanity unlock more of its brain power. The Lucy franchise is finally growing with its spinoff show, but Scarlett Johansson is not yet confirmed as a cast member. Much of Lucy's success came from Johansson's acting skills, so seeing the franchise continue without her would be a shame.

Creating a direct sequel of a movie a decade later comes with its challenges, though. Support and excitement for a continuation of Lucy has dwindled as time has passed, meaning it might not be able to draw in as many viewers anymore. Similarly, many viewers who watched Lucy haven't seen it in years, meaning Lucy 2 would either need to reestablish its world or rely on audiences to rewatch the original movie starring Scarlett Johansson. For all the potential roadblocks, though, Lucy still deserves a sequel.

Source: Box Office Mojo

Lucy

Action

Sci-Fi

Thriller

Release Date

July 25, 2014

Director

Luc Besson

Cast

Scarlett Johansson , Morgan Freeman , Choi Min-sik , Amr Waked , Julian Rhind-Tutt , Pilou Asbæk , Lio Tipton , Nicolas Phongpheth

Budget

$40 million