With almost a decade since the last film in the franchise, fans are wondering if and when 23 Jump Street could be released.
This comedic take on the beloved 1980s TV drama follows grown police officers as they go undercover, posing as high school students.
The first two films (directed by Spider-Verse filmmakers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller) have become some of the most beloved big-screen comedies of the past 20 years, sitting at 85% and 84% on Rotten Tomatoes respectively.
However, following 22 Jump Street's release in 2014, it has remained unclear just where the series would go next.
Is 23 Jump Street Ever Coming Out?
As of now, 23 Jump Street has yet to be officially confirmed. 22 Jump Street ended with plenty of tease of where the series could go (by way of satirical movie trailers).
In September 2014, a third Jump Street movie was announced to be in development with 22 Jump Street scribe Rodney Rothman tapped to write the script (via Deadline).
Franchise directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller signed onto the project, albeit in a producing capacity. The pair told SlashFilm they were not able to jump back into the director's chair due to having too busy a schedule:
"We are hard at work on '23 Jump Street,' which I think we will probably just produce from a time standpoint. But we’ve been working really hard. We’ve got a really good first draft of a script in and we’re really excited about it."
At the time, the pair noted writer "[Rodney Rothman] had a really outrageous idea for what to do," and they were moving forward with it:
"[Rodney Rothman] had a really outrageous idea for what to do, and how we could take our scorched-earth sequel policy from the end of '22 Jump Street' and do something that hadn't been explored in those '22' sequels and simultaneously tell the next chapter in the story."
It was then revealed - thanks to the Sony Pictures email leak of December 2014 - that the upcoming 21 Jump Street threequel would actually be a crossover with the Men in Black franchise.
The crossover, titled MiB 23, was set to be directed by Flight of the Concords co-creator James Bobin, however quickly after its reveal to the public, its future would come into question.
In an August 2016 interview with the Toronto Sun, franchise star Jonah Hill let slip that he "[doubted the] movie [would] get made." Hill revealed he thought the premise was "too complicated" and the series has become "what [they] were making fun of" in the first two films:
“It’s too complicated. They’re trying to make all the deals, but it’s kind of impossible with all the 'Men in Black' stuff. The 'Jump Street' films were so fun to make and the whole joke of them was they were making fun of remakes and sequels and reboots and then now it’s become a giant sequel, reboot. It’s almost become what we were making fun of and it’s hard to maintain that joke when it’s so high stakes.”
Despite these doubts, December 2016 saw a release date given to the movie with it tentatively slated for 2021.
However, MiB 23 would eventually be taken off Sony Pictures' slate. Lord and Miller revealed in 2019 that the next Jump Street film was in active development, but it likely not be this Men in Black crossover.
No updates on the sequel have been given since, with the franchise seemingly headed for a female-led spin-off titled Jump Street: Now For Her Pleasure.
Which Cast Members Could Return for 23 Jump Street?
The cast of 23 Jump Street remains unclear as only a select few actors have appeared in both previous films, with the rest of these hilarious ensembles being filled out by one-off bit parts for some of comedy's biggest and brightest.
Of course, it would not be a Jump Street movie without the pair of bumbling police detectives at the heart of the franchise, Jonah Hill's Schmidt and Channing Tatum's Jenko.
The only other name who appeared in both movies is Ice Cube as the foul-mouthed badass Captain Dickson. Dickson serves as Schmidt and Jenko's handler, and though he is wary of their methods, he reluctantly cannot deny the results.
Aside from those three, the Jump Street films are usually filled out with a variable who's who of comedic actors with everyone from Brie Larson to Queen Latifah having popped up in the first two movies.
When asked in a 2022 interview with VMAN 48 (via CinemaBlend) who he would want to see in 23 Jump Street, Tatum said either "Brad [Pitt]" or "Daniel Radcliffe:"
"Brad [Pitt] in ['The Lost City'] is hilarious. If we ever do 'Jump Street 3,' we have to—I’m telling you, he’s comic gold if you put him with the right character. I’ll tell you who’s probably my favorite actor now…Daniel Radcliffe."
What Could Happen in 23 Jump Street?
There are two very distinct directions 23 Jump Street could go if it ever comes to fruition.
The first has to do with the way the movie was initially conceived, being a crossover with the Men in Black franchise. This would seemingly see Schmidt and Jenko teaming up with the MIB agency on the hunt for aliens covertly wreaking havoc here on Earth.
However, if the franchise opts to do a mainline third film in the same style as 21 and 22 Jump Street, the plot would likely be a little less intergalactic.
Seeing as the first two films saw Schmidt and Jenko going undercover and posing as students at a local high school and then a college campus, a third movie would likely follow the same format.
The end of 22 Jump Street saw Ice Cube's Captain Dickson tell the central pair of detectives that they are "headed to medical school," meaning that could be the locale for their next adventure.
Another one of the popular teases fans latched onto from the end of the last film centered on an undercover case taking place in a retirement home, with Schmidt and Jenko aging up for the job as opposed to aging down.
This more geriatric take on Jump Street could provide an interesting twist the franchise has not yet seen, and could be the perfect opportunity to bring in some of the elder statement and women of Hollywood as a part of the cast.
23 Jump Street does not currently have a release date.
