Netflix had a clear runway for a Bright sequel after the first movie pulled huge numbers. Then real-world drama hit the brakes, hard. Here is how a splashy Will Smith franchise got tangled up in off‑screen allegations, scheduling headaches, and a very public slap — and what (if anything) is still moving.
Quick rewind: what Bright was
Bright landed on Netflix worldwide on December 22, 2017. It is a gritty urban fantasy/cop mashup from director David Ayer, written by Max Landis, starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton alongside Noomi Rapace, Lucy Fry, Edgar Ramirez, and Ike Barinholtz. The movie runs about 1 hour 58 minutes, reportedly cost around $90 million, and was produced by Overbrook Entertainment, Trigger Warning Entertainment, and Grand Electric.
Critics mostly torched it, audiences were split, but people watched. A lot. Per industry reporting at the time, Bright helped Netflix finish 2017 with a late‑year lift in subscribers and revenue. In other words: sequel fuel.
The Landis mess that scorched the sequel
The apparent sure thing got complicated fast. Right after Bright, multiple women publicly accused the film’s screenwriter Max Landis (son of director John Landis) of abuse and sexual misconduct. Actor Anna Akana — who had appeared in Landis’s viral short 'Wrestling Isn’t Wrestling' — called him out in a reply to a Netflix tweet (which was later deleted). Game developer Zoe Quinn chimed in with a pointed post of her own. Over time, the tally grew to eight women sharing stories, including actor Ani Baker (an ex who spoke to The Daily Beast about what she described as destructive behavior) and actor Whitney Moore, who alleged he subjected her to horrific treatment.
Meanwhile, Landis’s representation unraveled. He was at CAA before the 2019 WGA standoff that had writers firing their agents; a CAA source said he would not be welcomed back. He was also dropped by management firm Writ Large. Netflix, looking to move forward without him, quietly shifted gears.
Who picked up the sequel script
David Ayer stepped in to write the follow‑up himself, teaming with Evan Spiliotopoulos (who scripted Disney’s live‑action Beauty and the Beast). On paper, that kept Bright 2 alive. By late 2023 there were fresh rumblings about the sequel again, but nothing materialized into a start date.
Then Will Smith happened (again)
Even before the next round of headlines, Will Smith’s schedule was a hurdle. Then came the 2022 Oscars incident, which you do not need me to rehash. The immediate fallout was exactly what you would expect: projects paused or shelved, studios and streamers taking a beat. Smith’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die gave him some box‑office rehab in 2024, but the broader comeback has been slower than he probably hoped. More recently, social clips circulated claiming AI‑generated crowds in his concert footage — one more odd look, whether it matters or not.
Edgerton is still game
Joel Edgerton, who played Nick Jakoby — the first orc cop, stuck in the middle of human and orc prejudice — has stayed positive about another round. He has said the role gave him a lot of freedom (prosthetics aside) and that the creative team could actually use the feedback from the first movie to make a better sequel.
I think there’s a lot of fun to be had, there’s more to discover with the characters... if you take all that information it puts you in a nice spot to make a second and maybe a third movie.
What Smith is juggling instead
If you are wondering why Bright 2 is not sprinting to the front of the line, here is the current pile of stuff with Smith’s name on it:
- I Am Legend 2 — in development, no date yet; uses the alternate ending where Robert Neville lives, with Michael B. Jordan attached
- Fast and Loose — in development
- Planes, Trains & Automobiles — remake in development with Kevin Hart
- The Council — in development
- Aladdin 2 — status murky
- Brilliance — early development
So... is Bright 2 happening?
Short version: Not soon. The franchise had momentum in 2017, then got flattened by the Landis allegations, retooled with a new writing team, and ran into the storm cloud parked over Smith since 2022. There were hopeful noises in late 2023, but no cameras, no dates, and no official greenlight. If Smith’s upcoming projects land and the temperature around his brand cools, Netflix could dust this off — especially with Edgerton willing and Ayer having a draft. But for now, Bright 2 is stuck in the dark.
Bright is currently streaming on Netflix in the U.S.