«War Machine is back to continue its work.
The first film, written and directed by Australian director Patrick Hughes and starring Alan Ritchson as a hardened Army Ranger recruit facing an intergalactic force, has reached a major milestone. War Machine has become one of Netflix's most-watched films, garnering 139 million views since its March 6 premiere.
It makes perfect sense that a sequel to a film co-produced with Lionsgate is in the works, doesn't it? Especially considering that the film's ending hints at a much, much larger world within War Machine.
The first film was produced by Todd Lieberman, Greg McLean, Alex Young, and Rich Cook.
A few weeks ago, we spoke with Hughes and wondered whether the robotic Marauders seen in the first film were aliens themselves, or if they were being controlled by someone (or perhaps directed from their home planet).
Hughes continued, assuring us, "You'll find out.".
«"That was the hardest part, and thank goodness for Netflix, because there was a lot of debate and creative discussion within the company [about the ambiguous ending]. I really love those old movies from the '70s and '80s that had that feeling of, '"» "Dude, you left me hanging. What?"» "Hughes said of the first film's ending, which both he and Netflix agreed to. "I said to Netflix, 'I think the question people are most interested in is: What's [Richson's] name? Where is he from? What does he want? What's going on? Because I think the transition from the micro to the macro is really interesting because audiences get used to, that "everything was resolved in one film"« . And I thought: let's treat it for what it is - as a damn shocking spectacle.".
Hughes continued, "And do we really think that in the first 24 hours of this hitting us, we're going to know where they're coming from, what they want, and how to counter them? No. It's just shock and awe. But I actually wrote and crafted this as a standalone story. I thought, It's so damn cool, it's like you did it once and that's it. , and simply: "Damn, I'm leaving. Here's War Machine.".
While the sequel's cast hasn't been confirmed yet, there's a very good chance Ritchson will return. He and Hughes already starred together in another film (for Amazon), and they have matching tattoos—the War Machine logo, designed by Hughes. It was Hughes' first tattoo. "I never thought I'd get a tattoo. He's covered in it. I don't have one. Now we have War Machine," Hughes said.
Hughes also said that the plan is to begin work on the film as soon as possible. (Earlier in the conversation, he said everyone was "hard at work on the sequel.")
«Keep enjoying life. I can’t believe it every day. If you had told me this when I was in film school, I’d be sitting in this universe you created, and it would be exploding, it would be incredibly popular, and people would be begging for more,» Hughes said. «It’s really, really exciting. I can’t go into details, but I know when I wrote the script, they had it all mapped out—what I would do, knock on wood, if they’d given me the opportunity. It expands the world, but at the same time, it subverts expectations.».
Before he could tell me too many details, he interrupted himself.
«"I've got a real hit. I'm thrilled. It's fucking awesome," Hughes promised.
War Machine is now available to watch on Netflix.
The article "'War Machine 2' Filming Underway at Netflix, Patrick Hughes Returning | Exclusive" first appeared on TheWrap.