Sylvester Stallone Just Confirmed ‘Demolition Man 2’; Here’s Who Could Return for the Sci-fi Sequel
Nearly 30 years later, Demolition Man 2 might be happening.
In the 1980s and 1990s, action movies were all about muscles, gratuitous violence, and cheesy one-liners. Stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone — among others — tapped into this market in a big way. And while those action hits have largely not aged well, they remain nostalgic favorites for those who grew up with them.
Stallone’s 1993 sci-fi thriller Demolition Man is the perfect example. At first glance, the movie — directed by Marco Brambilla — isn’t one of the actor’s most memorable. After all, he’s still best known for the Oscar-winning Rocky franchise. But Demolition Man has endured nonetheless. And now it looks like fans will get a sequel.
Sylvester Stallone starred in 1993’s cult action film ‘Demolition Man’
In the film, Stallone stars as John Spartan, a reckless late-1990s supercop who winds up wrongly incarcerated in a state-of-the-art cryo-prison. After his old nemesis Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) escapes his own prison sentence, Spartan emerges in a seemingly utopian 2032. With the future’s police force unprepared to deal with Phoenix, Spartan is its only hope.
Demolition Man underperformed at the box office, earning only $58 million domestically. However, in the years since, the movie has developed a cult following among fans. In part, its longevity stems from its distinctive vision of the future, which emphasizes political correctness and lack of personal contact. Moreover, it also predicted Schwarzenegger’s political career.
‘Demolition Man 2’ is already in the works at Warner Bros.
So fans who have spent decades reliving Spartan and Phoenix’s futuristic throwdown were elated when Stallone dropped news of a sequel. During an Instagram question-and-answer session, the star addressed whether or not another Demoliton Man 2 would happen. And his answer seemed pretty definitive.
“I think there is. We’re working on it right now with Warner Bros. and it’s looking fantastic,” Stallone told fans on Instagram. “So that should come out. That’s going to happen.”
Notably, Demolition Man 2 does fit within Stallone’s recent output. Since the mid-2000s, he’s reprised both Rocky Balboa and John Rambo in multiple films. Plus, he’s kicked off new franchises like The Expendables and Escape Plan. Digging back into his filmography, Demolition Man feels like a strong contender for a sequel. But what would the story be about?
Stallone didn’t offer any details on what a sequel to the 1993 movie would look like. One of the film’s writers, Daniel Waters, recently revealed Meryl Streep was suggested to play Spartan’s daughter in a proposed sequel back in the 1990s. But it seems even more unlikely the three-time Oscar winner would join Stallone on screen now.
Sandra Bullock and other original stars could return with Stallone
Still, Stallone’s confidence about Demolition Man 2 indicates the project is already moving forward. The faux-utopian society of the movie’s San Angeles will no doubt have changed a lot. So to recapture what made the first film work for fans, Stallone will probably be looking to bring back some familiar faces.
The top of that list is easily Sandra Bullock. Before her breakthrough role in Speed the next year, the future Oscar winner played Lenina Huxley. The cop character starts out being a cultural foil for Spartan and ultimately becomes his partner and love interest. The question is whether Bullock would want to return. Her most recent action movie is 2013’s The Heat.
Likewise, Benjamin Bratt, Bob Gunton, and Rob Schneider could return as Spartan’s fellow cops. Bratt would be a particularly fun addition. He starts out as the most straight-laced character in Demolition Man. But the film’s ending hints he’s about to finally let loose. So a sequel could explore where his character goes next.
With the way Demolition Man ended, there doesn’t seem like much of a chance Snipes could return. Unless the sequel is really crazy, that is. But since Stallone originally wanted to go up against Jackie Chan the first time around, maybe Chan could join the sequel. Here’s hoping the villain is another nostalgic action icon, perhaps even an Expendables alum.
