Movie News Round Up: Kick Ass 2, Bad Santa 2 and Rush Hour 4

We’re only two days into the week and already a wealth of sequel announcements have been made. First up, John Leguizamo joins the Kick Ass 2 cast and will be playing Red Mist’s bodyguard Javier. Nobody thought a sequel would get the go ahead, or more specifically with the original cast, but Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Nicolas Cage are all locked in to reprise their roles.

Are you ready for Rush Hour 4? No, neither are we but regardless of a lack of public demand Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker are looking set for another adventures. Producer Arthur Sarkissian told Crave Online that he’s in the early stages of putting the movie together.

“I am working on it right now with Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, I’m trying to do it closer to how I did Rush Hour 1, more down to earth, more gritty, introduce two new characters and make it real the way the first one was. I personally was not happy with the third one. I thought 1 and 2 were very good. I think 3 got out of hand a little bit. It’s not a matter of just bringing them back to do another segment of that or a sequel to it by putting them in another city and having them bicker. I don’t want that. I want something new.”

Finally, Steve Pink looks to be the studio’s front runner to write and direct the Bad Santa sequel. Currently nothing is confirmed and the star of the original, Billy Bob Thornton has yet to sign on the dotted line. Steve Pink previously helmed Accepted and Hot Tub Time Machine, in addition he has written Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity so making a grown up comedy is well within the director’s comfort zone. Bad Santa quickly became a firm festive favourite with audiences seeking a more adult Christmas tale, but would a sequel work without Billy Bob?