Elizabeth Banks Returning To Aca-Direct ‘Pitch Perfect 3’
AfterPitch Perfect 2pulled in just over $285 millionon a budget of just $29 million, the possibility ofPitch Perfect 3became a certainty withAnna Kendrick, Rebel WilsonandBrittany Snowon board the sequel. The follow-up was originally slated for a July release, but got pushed back a bit into the old release dateonce occupied by the delayedPacific Rim 2. And now the film has a director.
Universal officially hasElizabeth BanksdirectingPitch Perfect 3, after making her feature directing debut onPitch Perfect 2, following a supporting role in the original film that she also produced.
Varietyhas the update on Banks directingPitch Perfect 3, which will also bring franchise writerKay Cannonback to script the sequel slated for release onAugust 4th, 2017. Banks has been weighing some other options as a director, and she’s still attached to developing projects likeRed Queen, also at Universal, as well as areboot ofCharlie’s Angelsat Sony, but she was always in the running forPitch Perfect 3.
While the comedy musical sequel was a hit for Universal, for my money, it wasn’t anywhere near as good as the original film, which was a surprisingly great adaptation of Mickey Rapkin’s bookPitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory. The script lacked focus, weakened some characters, including Anna Kendrick’s previously feisty and strong Beca, and didn’t deliver as good of a soundtrack.
Basically,Pitch Perfect 2felt like a sequel that was a surprise to everyone, and it was, with Kay Cannon unsure of where to take the characters next and give them a worthy obstacle to overcome, both with the individual characters and as a group. That’s not to say it didn’t have any redeeming qualities. There were still some good laughs to be had, and all the a cappella sequences from German team Das Sound Machine were fantastic, but as a whole, the movie felt like it was missing something.
Of course, most of those problems don’t entirely feel like they were the fault of Banks. Clearly she made some waves as a director since she’s lined up several other projects to direct, and she has evenexpressed interest in tackling a Star Wars projectat some point. But I hope that the problems that plaguedPitch Perfect 2can be fixed for the next round.
Previously there were talks of newcomerHailee Steinfeldtaking a more prominent role, perhaps setting her up to inherit the franchise, but it’s not clear if the studio still intends to go that route. Stay tuned to see who else ends up coming back forPitch Perfect 3.
