A sequel to the critically panned The Last Witch Hunter, starring Vin Diesel, is moving forward at Lionsgate. Michael Caine has also been attached to the project, even though a deal hasn’t been finalized yet.
| Movie | Rotten Tomatoes | Box Office |
| The Last Witch Hunter | 18% | $147M |
As for why the project is moving forward, despite being a box-office dud, this is a combination of Lionsgate’s desire to expand IP and the movie’s newfound success in streaming. The chairman of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group, Adam Fogelson, added:
The Last Witch Hunter has grown since its theatrical release into a global fan favorite, with audiences continuing to discover and re-watch it across every platform over the past decade. That enduring enthusiasm made clear there is an appetite for more stories set in this world. Vin and I have partnered many times over the years, and he is a true force in our industry.
While the decision itself is baffling, what’s more surprising is Michael Caine’s involvement, given that the actor, 93, retired a few years back.
The Last Witch Hunter 2 Brings Michael Caine Out of Retirement
For the unversed, revered actor Michael Caine opted to retire from acting back in 2023 after headlining the acclaimed war drama The Great Escaper, which stands at an impressive 90% rating on the Tomatometer.
His reasoning? The actor felt the only roles he was likely to get were “90-year-old men, maybe 85”, and considering The Great Escaper boasted amazing reviews, Caine felt it was the right way to go out (via BBC).
I’ve figured, I’ve had a picture where I’ve played the lead and it’s got incredible reviews. The only parts I’m likely to get now are old men, 90-year-old men, maybe 85. And I thought, ‘Well, I might as well leave with all this — I’ve got wonderful reviews. What have I got to do to beat this?’
That begs the question: how did a sequel to a critically panned movie from 2015 get him back? Was the pitch too good to resist? We’ll have to see. To be fair, no deal has been finalized yet, so who knows what’ll happen.
Vin Diesel Originally Signed The Last Witch Hunter Because of its Franchise Potential
Although the announcement comes as a surprise, for Diesel, a sequel was always on the cards. It’s important to note that the movie was somewhat of a passion project for Diesel, who also served as a producer on the movie.
The prospect of a sequel was one of the reasons the Fast X star signed onto the project in the first place. Interestingly, the executives, too, were thrilled about expanding the IP, even suggesting that Diesel they should get working on the sequel right away (via Complex).
The top brass of the company were there one day while Michael Caine and I were doing a scene together, and came by the trailer at the end of the day and said, ‘Hey, we want to get started with a sequel right away.
In that regard, they’re only a decade late, understandably so, as the movie did little to evoke interest among the masses at the time.
Are you excited about Diesel’s return as an immortal witch hunter? Comment below!
Stream The Last Witch Hunter on Peacock (USA).
