James McAvoy has addressed the reasons why his hit action movie Wanted has not had a sequel, and suggested that he is now too old to return to the role of Wesley. In a time when action stars are getting older – we are looking at you Tom “I’m 62 and still throwing myself out of planes” Cruise – McAvoy seems like a baby at just 45, but for him, characters like that are “a young person’s role now.”
Wanted is based on the comic book miniseries by Mark Millar and J. G. Jones, telling the story of office clerk Wesley Allan Gibson who discovers that his father has been part of a secret society of assassins for years. McAvoy was joined in the movie by more Hollywood heavyweights including Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, Terence Stamp, and Chris Pratt, helping the movie to a strong box office of $342 million from its $75 million budget. That immediately led to a sequel being green-lit, but it never materialized. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, McAvoy spoke about the issues that have delayed a sequel to the point that it now seems like it will never be made.
“There were a couple of scripts that came my way for sequels, but they weren’t strong enough, so that’s why they never happened. If there was a script there that was absolutely banging, then, yeah, I’d be disappointed. But we made something that I’m really proud of. Timur [Bekmambetov] was really proud of it. The studio was really proud of it. Everybody was really excited by it, and it’s stood the test of time a little bit. It’s always on streamers, and people are always watching it. I still get so much love for it from young people who weren’t alive back then. So I’m proud of what we did, and I wouldn’t want to tarnish it by doing something that was not quite as strong. And, look, I’m too old to play Wesley now anyway. It’s a young person’s role now.”
Wanted 2 Could Tap Into a Popular Genre at the Right Time
Despite McAvoy’s doubts over being able to return to the role of Wesley after 16 years, the current trend of actors returning to some of their older roles has proven lucrative in some cases – such as Michael Keaton’s current box office dominance as Beetlejuice. Action movies have always been a strong draw for audiences, so the combination of that and a nostalgic kick could well be a winner.
However, McAvoy has previously suggested that he would be happy for Wanted to branch out in other directions. Back in 2012, the actor told IGN that a sequel could happen, but it wasn’t something he felt compelled to do. In that interview, he also noted how the idea of a reboot some years down the line could be a better option. He said:
“The reason I did the first film was because I thought it was a really good acting role, and no matter whether it made lots of money or ultimately was a good action movie, I knew I’d have a good time doing it as an actor. I would hope that would be the case in the second one. My worry was always that if we do a sequel, where is the character going to go? We hung our movie off this guy’s life journey, and he’s had that life journey now, so what do you hang the movie off? Maybe they’ll do it in the future with a whole new kid – a new lead character. And the premise of the Wanted movies is how becoming an assassin changed my life.”
Wanted
is currently streaming on Max.