Nice Guys 2: Why We NEED This Sequel!

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The Nice Guys,” a film starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, is widely regarded as one of their best works. However, despite its success, there’s no sequel yet. In “The Nice Guys,” the two actors portray Jackson Healy and Holland March, an enforcer and a detective in 1977 Los Angeles who are forced to work together to find a missing woman. The remarkable chemistry between Crowe and Gosling makes “The Nice Guys” one of their funniest films. Despite its comedic elements, the stakes are high as characters surrounding Healy and March keep getting killed.

The movie “The Nice Guys” was skillfully directed by Shane Black, who’s also known for films like “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” and “Iron Man 3”. Critics raved about “The Nice Guys” when it first came out, giving it a fantastic 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite the positive reception, there’s been no confirmation of a sequel, which is disheartening because, ten years after its release, “The Nice Guys” truly deserves a follow-up film.

Russell Crowe & Ryan Gosling’s The Nice Guys Had So Much Potential For A Sequel

The Ending Of The Nice Guys Perfectly Sets Up A Sequel

Toward the end of “The Nice Guies,” Healy and March successfully crack the case and bring down their adversaries. Despite their contrasting personalities, the duo proves to be an effective team, hinting at a mutual satisfaction in having each other as partners. In the movie’s final scene, Healy and March can be seen enjoying drinks at a bar, appreciating an ad for their newly established detective agency, aptly named “The Nice Guys.” This suggests that they plan to collaborate on future cases together.

The closing sequence hints at a possible continuation of the story, where Healy and March might take on more cases in the future. Such a sequel could be set in the 1970s or even the 1980s, offering a fresh perspective on Los Angeles during these decades. With director Shane Black having numerous ideas for a second film, the stage is set for a follow-up to the highly praised movie “The Nice Guys.” Regrettably, a sequel has yet to receive production approval.

Why The Nice Guys Wasn’t More Successful Upon Release

The Nice Guys Was A Box Office Disappointment

As a cinephile, I was truly captivated by “The Nice Guys” when it debuted, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite shine at the box office. The film grossed around $71 million globally against a production budget of $50 million (according to Box Office Mojo). Although it managed to surpass its initial investment, the studio likely didn’t see a profit due to extra expenses such as advertising costs.

In April 2024, Ryan Gosling shared some disappointing news about “The Nice Guys 2”. He mentioned that despite our hopes for a sequel, the first film had a lackluster opening weekend, which seems to have stalled its production.

A significant portion of a sequel’s success often hinges on the initial weekend box office performance, and unfortunately for us, we were pitted against the release of “Angry Birds” during our opening. Regrettably, it seems that “Angry Birds” overpowered us in this instance. Indeed, a sequel for “Angry Birds” was greenlit following its impressive box office performance.

Over the first weekend of its release, “The Nice Guys” earned just $11 million, while “The Angry Birds Movie” pulled in a remarkable $38 million. Despite receiving good reviews, not enough people were convinced to watch “The Nice Guys” in cinemas. Even though Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling are well-known actors, “The Nice Guys” isn’t part of a franchise or based on a widely recognized intellectual property (IP), which made it difficult for it to compete with a popular children’s movie like “The Angry Birds Movie”. Unfortunately, the relatively low box office take for “The Nice Guys” is the primary reason why a sequel hasn’t been produced.

Why The Nice Guys 2 Looks Unlikely (Albeit Not Impossible)

There Is Still Some Hope For The Nice Guys 2

Despite the fact that Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, and Angourie Rice have expressed interest in making a follow-up to The Nice Guys, it appears that such a project might not materialize. Gosling’s statements from 2024 suggest that there has been no progress on the sequel. Moreover, given that The Nice Guys was released nearly a decade ago and has only found success on streaming platforms, securing funding for a sequel would be quite challenging. However, in May 2024, producer Ken Kao hinted at a potential positive development regarding the sequel to The Nice Guys. He mentioned that there may be updates on the project soon.

In essence, it appears that we need to find cost-effective methods for film production. This remains a significant hurdle for both producers and filmmakers today. The current trend indicates that we must create films in an environmentally friendly and ethically sound manner. It’s no longer feasible to keep producing movies that don’t generate profits at the box office, and it seems that the streaming platforms are no longer willing to write endless checks. Therefore, our goal as producers is to devise a way within this industry to create films that financially benefit those involved while still motivating distributors to release them. This, I believe, is the task and challenge we face.

Given the comments and the success of The Nice Guys on streaming platforms, there’s a possibility that a sequel could be produced, despite the initial film’s underwhelming box office performance. This means, even after nearly a decade since its release, I eagerly await news about a potential sequel to The Nice Guys.

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2025-05-02 23:01