Skip to main content

Edgar Wright hints at the possibilities for a 'Baby Driver' sequel

Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World director Edgar Wright has always had a lot of fans among both professional critics and general audiences, but his movies have rarely been able to translate their critical success to the sort of ticket sales that spawn franchises. That might change with his latest film, Baby Driver.

Already the highest-grossing film directed by Wright and boasting some of the most positive reviews — from critics and audiences — of any of his prior projects, Baby Driver is shaping up to be a big hit. Naturally, that has led to some speculation that it could be the first of Wright’s films to get a sequel, and it appears that the filmmaker is not ruling out the possibility of continuing that particular story with star Ansel Elgort’s talented getaway driver, Baby.

Recommended Videos

“The studio has asked me to think about writing a sequel, and it’s funny that [Baby Driver] is one of the ones that I might do a sequel to, because I think there’s somewhere more to go with it in terms of the characters,” Wright told The Empire Film Podcast. “Baby has sort of got to a new place.”

After conceding that most of his previous films didn’t leave much room for sequels — with the exception of 2007’s Hot Fuzz, that is — Wright indicated that Baby Driver is in the unique position of having its characters in a place where they can still evolve and change at the end of the film. He then offered up some ideas about where a potential sequel might take Baby and the approach it would take to extending the character’s narrative.

“Most sequels, you have to contrive something so they go back to square one, unless there’s somewhere deeper for them to go,” Wright said. “I think with Baby Driver, there’s more that you can do in that realm, and I sort of have an idea that if you did another one you would subvert his involvement in the crime in a different way so he’s not kind of like the apprentice anymore.”

Currently in its second week in theaters, Baby Driver is rolling along with a 97-percent approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and a positive, “A-” grade on audience polling site CinemaScore. The film was written and directed by Wright and casts Elgort as a getaway driver who relies on his personal soundtrack to be one of the best wheelmen in the crime scene. After a heist goes awry, he soon finds himself on the run, with everyone and everything he holds dear threatened by some of his former associates.

Along with Elgort, the film’s cast includes two-time Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey (House of CardsAmerican Beauty) Lily James (Cinderella), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Eiza Gonzalez (From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series), Jon Bernthal (Daredevil), and Academy Award-winner Jamie Foxx (Ray).

Baby Driver hit theaters June 28 and has earned more than $39 million in U.S. theaters so far and more than $45 million worldwide.

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
Thunderbolts director Jake Schreier in talks to direct Marvel’s X-Men movie
Cyclops poses in close-up with the other X-Men behind him in a still from the series X-Men '97.

Although the X-Men haven't had their own movie since Dark Phoenix in 2019, Marvel Studios has reportedly decided on the director it wants to bring the mutant heroes back to the big screen.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Thunderbolts director Jake Schreier is now in negotiations with Marvel to direct the X-Men reboot movie. Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes screenwriter Michael Lesslie is writing the script for that film, which is expected to be a clean break from the 20th Century Fox X-Men movies. Thunderbolts has gotten strong critical reviews, and good word of mouth from audiences since its release on May 2. Marvel is presumably happy with that response or else the studio wouldn't be fast-tracking Schreier for such a high-profile follow up movie.

Read more
Nonnas: How Stephen Chbosky and Liz Maccie made a love letter to food & family
A group of four women and one man stand in front of a restaurant.

Coming from an Italian-American heritage, I know the importance of family dinners. And yes, many Italians love to cook Sunday sauce (or gravy, depending on who you ask) and eat dinner before most college kids wake up from a Saturday night out. Sitting down to break bread and share a meal is the backbone of any united household. Nonnas, the new Netflix family comedy, understands this principle: food is love.

From a young age, Joe Scaravella (Vince Vaughn) immediately grasped the concept of food and family by spending time in the kitchen with the matriarchs. As a single adult living in South Brooklyn, Joe loses that wholesome feeling following the death of his mother. With no direction home, Joe risks it all to open an Italian restaurant in Staten Island. The kicker? Joe's chefs are grandmothers, aka Nonnas: Gia (Susan Sarandon), Roberta (Lorraine Bracco), Teresa (Talia Shire), and Antonella (Brenda Vaccaro).

Read more
John Cena and the 11th street kids return in the Peacemaker season 2 teaser trailer
John Cena stares in his Peacemaker costume.

John Cena, welcome to the new DC Universe. After a three-year hiatus, Peacemaker returns to Max for its long-awaited second season.

The teaser trailer follows the adventures of Christopher “Chris” Smith (Cena), better known as the vigilante superhero Peacemaker. After saving the world, the season 2 footage begins with Peacemaker attempting to join a super team with Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn), Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced). All three are unimpressed with Peacemaker, as they insult him from the other side of an interrogation room.

Read more