'Think Like A Man' sequel is in development
The romantic comedy based on Steve Harvey's advice book currently has a sequel in development.
The romantic comedy based on Steve Harvey's advice book currently has a sequel in development.
Steve Harvey鈥檚 best-selling advice book 鈥淎ct Like a Lady, Think Like a Man鈥� was translated into the film聽Think Like a Man聽earlier this year. The transition from ink and paper to celluloid was a successful one, resulting in a movie adaptation that received surprisingly solid marks from critics (read our review) 鈥� given Hollywood鈥檚 underwhelming track record, when it comes to turning popular dating advice books into star-studded events (He鈥檚 Just Not That Into You, looking at you).
The aspect of Think Like a Man鈥榮 success that鈥檚 surely pleased Screen Gems the most is a $93 million worldwide gross on a $12 million budget. Hence, it鈥檚 little surprise that development has begun on a sequel (we鈥檒l call it Think Like a Man 2, for now).
Screen Gems鈥� Think Like a Man sequel will be scripted by the same duo who wrote its predecessor,聽Keith Merryman and David A. Newman (they also penned Friends with Benefits). The screenwriters have established a reputation for churning out rom-coms that resonate with contemporary audiences, but do not stray far from the tried-and-true plot formulas and conventions which have earned the sub-genre fans since鈥� well, the early days of narrative filmmaking, to be honest.
Harvey will be back as an executive producer on Think Like a Man 2, with Rob Hardy and Rushion McDonald; Will Packer is also returning, in a producer capacity. It stands to reason that the central cast from the first film (including, Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, Kevin Hart, Taraja P. Henson, Jerry Ferrara, Meagan Good, Romany Malco, Gabrielle Union, and Chris Bown) will likewise be brought back, as could also be the case with director Tim Story.
Think Like a Man 2 will presumably travel a path similar to the first film, following the various male and female 鈥減layers鈥� as navigate the 鈥済ame鈥� of evolving relationships. Rom-com sequels are a rare species, as most filmmakers hold off on continuing the love story 鈥� or stories, in the case of Think Like a Man 鈥� after the happy ending (or something close to that) has seemingly been reached.
Think Like a Man 2 could turn out okay, assuming the original cast returns (screen chemistry intact). Not to mention: so long as聽Merryman and Newman refrain from simply rehashing what went down in the first film 鈥� while passing the sequel off as a 鈥渘ew鈥� chapter in the ongoing story (that鈥檚 never happened before, right?).
Of course, the real question is: how much of an informercial will this sequel be for Harvey鈥檚 new book, 鈥�(Continue To) Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man鈥�? (Zing!)
Sandy Schaefer blogs at Screen Rant.