‘Clifford the Big Red Dog 2’: Is a Sequel to the 2021 Hit Coming Soon?
Family movies are often a studio’s most reliable way to deliver a box office hit. This is especially true during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In fact, Trolls: World Tour was among the first to experiment with new release strategies. And Paramount hit upon a box office hit with their live-action adaptation of classic children’s book series Clifford the Big Red Dog. But now that the first film was a success, is Clifford the Big Red Dog 2 in the works?
‘Clifford the Big Red Dog’ was a theatrical and streaming success
Based on the children’s books by Norman Bridwell — who inspired a character in the film — Clifford the Big Red Dog takes the titular character into live action for the first time. The book series was first published in 1963 and has endured for decades in various forms, including an early 2000s animated series. But the new movie is the latest effort to extend the brand. And Paramount released it to theaters and Paramount+ on November 10, 2021.
The movie features The Christmas Chronicles star Darby Camp as young Emily Elizabeth Howard, who discovers and adopts Clifford. And although the movie received mixed reviews, family audiences came out to support it. Based on a reported budget of over $60 million, Clifford the Big Red Dog earned $102 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. Factoring in the pandemic and its streaming release, that’s a win for Paramount.
When can fans of the 2021 movie expect a sequel to be released?
Given how quickly some blockbusters — such as 20th Century Studios’ Free Guy — are getting sequel confirmations, fans might be wondering if there’s news on the Clifford front. And while there’s nothing concrete about the movie just yet, a sequel is in active development. In fact, Deadline reported the news just weeks after Clifford the Big Red Dog‘s release.
As expected, the film’s streaming success was a key part of that decision. Deadline reported that Clifford the Big Red Dog was the most-watched original film on Paramount+ up to that point. That presumably includes another of the studio’s fall releases, Paw Patrol: The Movie, which also has a sequel in the works. It’s unclear whether director Walt Becker or which actors — including Camp, Jack Whitehall, Sienna Guillory, and Izaac Wang — will return.
Scholastic Entertainment has another new movie coming in 2022
The announcement of a Clifford the Big Red Dog sequel will only perpetuate the emergence of Scholastic Entertainment. The company — an offshoot of the Scholastic Corporation, best known as a publisher of children’s books — has been making movies since the 1990s. The Indian in the Cupboard is one example of an early movie release from Scholastic. But the past decade or so have seen its focus on film really develop.
Scholastic released 2015’s Goosebumps and its 2018 sequel, Mortal Engines, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, and now Clifford the Big Red Dog. And it has another film coming out hot on the heels of its latest hit. The Bad Guys focuses on a team of animal criminals. It remains to be seen if the film — which features stars like Sam Rockwell and Awkwafina — will become a hit of Despicable Me proportions. It hits theaters on April 22, 2022.
