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In an industry saturated with superhero movies,Hancockis perhaps the weirdest of them all, and Charlize Theron, for one, is proud to be its star. With an abundance of projects that range from epic (Avengers: Endgame) to vicious (The Dark Knight), from disturbing (The Boys) to hilarious (Deadpool), from solemn (Joker) to cringeworthy (Batman & Robin), there exists a space for films outside Marvel and DC for films likeThe CrowandKick-Assto thrive without getting stampeded on by the comic book industry.
However, for Charlize Theron, the opportunity to star inHancockisn’t some form of wish fulfillment in an era when every Hollywood artist seems to be bitten by the superhero bug. The Oscar-winning actress has, by 2024, appeared in two of the three existing superhero franchises – as Clea inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and an in-universe fictional version of Stormfront inThe Boys.
Such a diverse cache of roles and experiences would have evaded the actress, if not forHancock– the dysfunctional superhero film starring Will Smith.
Charlize Theron Discusses aHancockSequel
WhenHancockcame out in theaters, the world was just getting acquainted with the idea of superhero films.Iron Manhad just come out 2 months prior to the Will Smith action comedy and Christopher Nolan peaked with the Heath Ledger masterpiece,The Dark Knight, which came out 16 days afterHancock.
Sandwiched in the middle of two timeless epics,Will Smith‘s superhero flick had little chance of surviving on its own. Despite a star-studded cast comprising Academy Award-winningCharlize Theron, twice nominated (at the time) Smith, and an endearing Jason Bateman,Hancockdrowned faster than the Titanic, although its erasure from common memory failed to be as tragic.
11 years later, Theron – who was busy kicking ass and taking names with films likeAtomic BlondeandThe Old Guard– spoke out on her wish to work on aHancocksequel, saying:“We’ll be superheroes with our walkers, you know. And I’ll still go! I’ll still make that movie; I would do it in a heartbeat.”
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Despite failing to impress the critics at the time and simmering in a lousy 42% rating onRotten Tomatoes,Hancockmanaged to cash in $629.4 million at the box office [viaBox Office Mojo] – which was impressive for a film that had barely two weekends to shine beforeThe Dark Knightcame knocking. The movie’s poor reception at the time later shifted as the Will Smith flick became somewhat of a cult classic in the underbelly of the superhero industry.
Hancock 2: The Sequel That Never Was
A year afterHancockpremiered, director Peter Berg launched an enthusiastic mission to get a sequel off the ground. Two scriptwriters – Adam Fierro and Glen Mazzara – were brought on board along with rumors of all three of the original stars returning. The sequel planned to introduce a new immortal god in the mix, lending competition to Will Smith and Charlize Theron’s dynamic while also continuing the story of Ray Embrey after the first film.
By the tail-end of 2009, all plans for the sequel were dropped andHancock 2was never mentioned in public again. The missed opportunity to see the dysfunctional superhero in action again generated sympathy among the audience who now supported the vision of a second film.
Seeing Will Smith’s Hancock leaving destruction in his wake, clearly doing more harm than good despite his well-meaning intentions, and his wildly cavalier attitude as a superhero, showed the audience a darker side of the people-saving business that Marvel and DC failed to communicate on the screen. A decade later,The Boysfulfills the vision thatHancockstarted by going unapologetically R-rated on its often shocked and horrified audience.
Bleak Update on Charlize Theron’s ‘The Old Guard 2’ Proves Netflix Film’s Release Date Could Be Farther Than What Fans Initially Thought
Meanwhile, despite the spike in audience interest, neither Peter Berg nor Will Smith ever actively tried to getHancock 2greenlit. In an era that already suffers from an over-indulgence in the superhero business, a refreshing take that stands apart from the comic book industry could very well bring people out of their shells and forget about the ‘Superhero fatigue’ epidemic.
Hancockis available to buy/rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.
Diya Majumdar
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2410
Diya Majumdar is a Senior Content Writer at FandomWire with over 2000 published articles on the website. Since 2022, she has been working as an entertainment journalist with a special focus on films and pop culture.Among the countless genres and themes of Hollywood, the ones that particularly favor Diya’s tastes include Game of Thrones, DC, and well-aged thrillers and classics.
