Seth Gordon Offered A Return To The Director's Chair On Planned 'Horrible Bosses' Sequel

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by Simon Dang
July 11, 2012 9:19 AM
4 Comments

Even though it managed to break the $200 million barrier at the box office on a $35 million budget, the cold critical reception that greeted Seth Gordon's "Horrible Bosses" saw it fall short of the bar raised by other recent summer comedy blockbusters like "The Hangover" and "Bridesmaids." That performance, however, will evidently be more than enough for New Line to work with, as the wheels are now well and truly in motion on a sequel to the 2011 pic.

Earlier this year, scribes John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein were brought back to pen a sequel and, while there were already murmurs at the time that New Line were bringing Gordon back, things are now firming up with the L.A. Times reporting that an offer has been made for the helmer to return. Just as interesting, though, the paper reports that the move is preceeding any offer made to the three leads Jason Sudeikis, Jason Bateman and Charlie Day but that -- if deals can be struck with the trio -- a 2014 release would be eyed for the potential film.

So where would a sequel take Nick, Dale and Kurt (of course we had to look those names up)? Little detail is revealed about what Daley and Goldstein have conjured up but it's noted that they'll be steering clear of the copycat template of "The Hangover Part II," with the sequel not involving a murder plot the next time around. Definitely the smart approach, we think, considering the original played it too safe anyway. Hopefully, they dare to be brave here as it's hard to see this going bust: R-Rated comedy + the likable trio of Sudeikis, Bateman and Day + pretty much no boundaries on where the sequel could go + built in audiences with fans of original film, "SNL," "Arrested Development" and "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" = sure-fire hit, right?

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More: Horrible Bosses 2, Seth Gordon

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Jamie | July 13, 2012 5:55 PMReply

"Cold critical reception"? The New York Times gave "Horrible Bosses" a good review. Ebert liked it. EW gave it an A- as I recall. What the hell are you talking about? The internet is already full of inaccurate crap. Maybe you should correct this article.
Evan | July 11, 2012 12:07 PMReply

Comedies rarely get warm critical attention. It is so difficult to nail a comedy that I think only one or two mainstream comedies are well received by critics each year. I think moviegoers rely less on critics reviews for comedies and more so on peer reviews and trailer laughs compared to other genres. But I think Horrible Bosses actually did get good reviews generally from critics, and I know I enjoyed the film along with friends.
Dan | July 11, 2012 10:54 AMReply

This was fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, how is that a "cold critical reception?"
WRT | July 11, 2012 9:52 AMReply

What critical bar did The Hangover set that Horrible Bosses fell so short of? I wouldn't call a 9% pt difference from RT the difference between a "cold" and warm reception (also, are we just ignoring The Hangover II in these calculations?). I don't love any of these films, but I'll take Horrible Bosses over The Hangover or Bridesmaids. Either way, none of the three are raising any comedic bar, only perpetuating trends already ongoing. Way to be the mouthpiece of hype-approved internet dork taste (Nolan rules! Bridesmaids rules! HBO and AMC TV rule!). You guys are really pushing the boundaries of convention here at the Playlist