More than 15 years after The A-Team hit theaters, director Joe Carnahan reflected on why the action reboot failed to take off and ultimately never spawned a sequel. While sharing an ambitious idea for how he would have opened The A-Team 2, Carnahan admitted the filmmakers "blew it" with the original release. Released in 2010, The A-Team went on to gross just $77.2 million domestically, falling short of expectations at 20th Century Fox.
In an exclusive interview with The Direct, while promoting his new film, The Rip, Carnahan was asked if he had any ideas for a sequel to The A-Team.
Carnahan said the sequel would have immediately centered on Liam Neeson's Hannibal, where a surprise happens, "When the camera pulled back," audiences would realize "he's running sled dogs in the Sahara Desert," going to save Bradley Cooper as Face:
"Oh, brother, I had the best opening, I can tell you, the 'A-Team 2' opening... Literally, you saw Hannibal come over this kind of platinum-white landscape on sled dogs. And the camera pulled back, and you realize he's somewhere in the Sahara. He's running sled dogs in the Sahara Desert. And he arrives at the Citadel, where they've taken Face hostage."
According to Carnahan, Hannibal planned to win Face's freedom by playing blackjack against a mysterious figure known as "The Shape," using a Lamborghini and other luxury goods as bargaining chips instead of weapons:
"And he has to get in there. And he's gonna play blackjack against The Shape, and he's brought a Lamborghini. He's brought all these wares to trade for Face, but they're gonna play cards. That was the opening of the sequel."
Carnahan was blunt when explaining why The A-Team failed to meet expectations, placing much of the blame on "marketing." According to the director, the biggest mistake came down to timing and competition, "Karate Kid absolutely kicked the shit out of us:"
"And again, brother, we just blew it, because marketing... we opened the same day as the World Cup. It was a bad date. 'Karate Kid' absolutely kicked the shit out of us."
He wasn't lying. The Karate Kid, starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, earned $30 million more than The A-Team on opening weekend.
Despite its lukewarm box office performance, Carnahan said that he's heard from a lot of people who love the film, adding that it "was a bit of a bummer to not make another one:"
And it’s a shame, because that movie has become very beloved, I always get people saying, "Man, I love that film." And, you know, it’s got Alan Silvestri pre-Avengers with that score. But, yeah man, that was a bit of a bummer to not make another one."
This comes over 12 years after Carnahan tweeted that a sequel wouldn't be made due to nothing making enough money:
"For the record guys and as much as I appreciate all the 'A-TEAM' love. There will NOT be a sequel. It didn't make enough $$$ and that's that."
This hasn't stopped Neeson from starring in action roles, like the Taken sequels, Carnahan's The Grey, and most recently, The Naked Gun reboot, which cut short its funniest scene.
For Carnahan, The Rip is his latest feature film, now playing on Netflix, where box office no longer determines whether a sequel is made. The Rip reunites Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, who are kicking off what's expected to be a career year by taking on the role of Odysseus in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey.
Why Fans Still Want An A-Team 2
As Carnahan cited, fans have come to appreciate The A-Team because it embraced the same over-the-top, self-aware silliness that defined the original TV series.
Those who enjoyed the first movie, which boasts a 66% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes, argue that the movie works as a fun, highly rewatchable action romp rather than a serious franchise starter.
Because of that, it's fair to say that a legacy sequel could thrive today on streaming, but as previously confirmed, there are no active plans for one.
