Science fiction has always been a favorite for both movie-goers and Hollywood producers. While not containing a lot of critical material, these films are fun and exciting to watch nonetheless. That’s why they’re mostly a box office hit.
2016’s ‘The 5th Wave’ was no stranger to eye-catching sci-fi action. With a mixed cast of well-loved actors and a deep, sci-fi plot, ‘The 5th Wave’ earned many movie lovers’ attention and appeal.
It’s box office success prompted people to believe that a sequel is coming. Unfortunately, we haven’t had any updates since the first one.
‘The 5th Wave’ is a 2013 novel written by author Rick Yancey. It was later adapted into a movie in 2016. The film is directed by J Blakeson and co-written by Akiva Goldsman, Jeff Pinkner, and Susannah Grant.
The movie is produced by Columbia Pictures, in partnership with GH Films, Living Films, Material Pictures, and LStar Capital. It premiered on January 22, 2019, and earned a whopping $109.9 million worldwide.
‘The 5th Wave’: Plot & Cast
‘The 5th Wave’ follows protagonist Cassie Sullivan, a teenage survivor of four alien attacks that left most parts of the Earth destroyed.
Played by the charming and talented Chloë Grace Moretz, Cassie puts everything on the line to save her younger brother, Sam Sullivan — played by Zackary Arthur.
The film also features notable stars Ron Livingston as Cassie and Sam’s father (Oliver Sullivan), and Maggie Siff as the mother (Lisa Sullivan).
Other notable personalities include Alex Roe (Evan Walker), Nick Robinson (Ben Thomas Parish), Maika Monroe (Ringer), Maria Bello (Sergeant Reznik), and Liev Schreiber (Colonel Alexander Vosch).
‘The 5th Wave’: Success & Failures
‘The 5th Wave’ was a major commercial success, netting a hefty $109.9 million against a $48 million film budget. Unfortunately, its success in the box office couldn’t overshadow the movie’s apparent flaw, which was filmmaking quality.
‘The 5th Wave’ earned a mediocre score of 15% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer. It was mostly criticized for its clichéd plot, predictable narrative, and poor dialogues. Many critics were quick to point out the waste of talented actors in the cast due to poor filmmaking and overall direction.
‘The 5th Wave 2’: Is It Confirmed?
Sony envisioned it to be the next big trilogy that many sci-fi fans would be crazy about. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case so far. While the first film hasn’t captivated critics’ eyes, it still brought in a hefty profit back to Sony’s pockets.
The film’s commercial success at the box office would certainly interest Sony to produce two more films and complete the trilogy.
As for the sequel, nothing has been announced yet. Production and release are, however, to be revealed. So any updates and news that we have now are pure speculations.
But that doesn’t stop us from digging up some vital information. With that said, here is everything we know about ‘The 5th Wave 2.’
‘The 5th Wave 2’ Cast: Who’s In & Who’s Out?
Since the first film, Chloë Grace Moretz hasn’t signed nor confirmed anything about ‘The 5th Wave 2.’
She had two major projects in 2019, precisely two animated movies, ‘Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs’ and ‘The Addams Family.’ Nick Robinson also had his hands full with two feature films – the noir thriller ‘Strange But True’ and ‘Silk Road.’
Alex Roe is currently part of the drama series’ Siren,’ in which he has a central role. Maika Monroe, who was featured in two releases last year, is currently busy with the mystery film ‘The Education of Fredrick Fitzell’ and the crime film ‘The Sound of Philadelphia.’
Some stars in the first film haven’t had any recent projects. Ron Livingston, best known for his roles in HBO’s ‘Band of Brothers’ and the 1999 dark comedy film ‘Office Space,’ is still waiting for his next big break.
Maggie Siff, who recently starred in the 2019 drama, The Short History of the Long Road,’ hasn’t signed any new project to date. Maria Bello, who starred in three films in 2018, has been project-less since.
Liev Schreiber is currently in director Woody Allen’s romantic comedy ‘A Rainy Day in New York.’ In addition, he is also in the drama ‘Human Capital,’ directed by Marc Meyers.
All of these actors were in the main cast of ‘The 5th Wave.’ As for any new additions, there still isn’t any update in that regard.
‘The 5th Wave 2’ Crew: The People Behind the Scenes
Since ‘The 5th Wave,’ director J Blakeson has been a part of only one project, which was 2017’s historical drama, ‘Gunpowder.’
Although he received quite a lot of backlash for his work in ‘The 5th Wave,’ J Blakeson did show some promise and potential. So, the production company might reach out and work with him again to create a bigger and better sequel.
The screenwriters were also up and down in terms of what they’ve been doing since the film. Jeff Pinkner, who was in 2014’s ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2,’ and 2018’s ‘Venom,’ was recently a screenwriter for 2018’s ‘Jumanji: The Next Level.’
Since ‘The 5th Wave’ and ‘Confirmation’ were released in 2016, screenwriter Susannah Grant hasn’t worked on a new project. Academy Award winner Akiva Goldsman hasn’t worked on any project since 2017. Everyone might be available to work on ‘The 5th Wave 2.’
‘The 5th Wave 2’ Release Date: Is It Coming?
The first movie was released back on January 22, 2016, and was a significant box office hit. However, the negative reviews and poor feedback from people who watched the film might prompt producers to determine a more favorable time to announce the sequel’s release.
Right now, there hasn’t been any confirmation of a second movie, so we will have to wait for any official announcement from the producers.
Even if the sequel is given the green light soon, it might take at least a year or two’s worth of production and marketing.
With the coronavirus pandemic still raging on, we might not see any updates on ‘The 5th Wave’ until next year. In terms of release, we’ll be optimistic and predict that it will be around 2022. Stay tuned for more updates on ‘The 5th Wave 2’ in the coming months.