Hold That Jumper - Doug Liman's Next Project?

Regardless of updates to IMDB and other talk about Jumper 2, it's possible that Doug Liman's untitled Moon project might be closer to starting production than his Hayden Christensen starring sequel to Jumper. Recently, IMDB added Hayden Christensen to the cast on the Jumper 2 listing for the sequel. The original Jumper came in number one at the box office when it was released in February 2008.

As schedules are always in a state of being arranged and re-arranged on Hollywood movie projects, you just never know what might get moved up or pushed back.

Only time will tell if Jumper 2 or the Moon project will be Doug Liman's next project. At the moment, it looks like everyone involved, including Jake Gyllenhaal, might have room on their schedules for the Moon project to start filming in early 2010.

Hayden has two possible projects listed in pre-production on IMDB which haven't been confirmed yet but could keep him busy for awhile. Besides that, there are several scripts for Moon and there has been no mention of any script yet on Jumper 2. Status is still listed as "In Development: Optioned property". Fans of the Steven Gould Jumper books may have to wait a little longer to see Hayden Christensen reprise the role of David Rice in a second installment in the series.

Simon Kinberg who also wrote for Jumper and who is tayloring the Moon script specifically for actor Jake Gyllenhaal spoke to 30 Ninjas Blog about the progress of that project.


JFG: Where does the film [Moon Project] stand now?

SK: We’re hoping that the movie shoots the beginning of next year. And it has been through many iterations, which I think is Doug’s process, to some extent, where he wants to look at a lot of different versions of something to make sure it’s the exact right version, and I think we’re starting to close in on the exact right version. Like you say, it’s been a labor of love for Doug, and I’ve worked with him on two movies and a TV pilot now, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him as passionate about a project as he is about this.


JFG: It’s the longest he’s been on a project.

SK: For sure. Which is telling. So it’s an ongoing — as you know, since you’re part of the conversation still — it is an ongoing conversation, it’s a group dialogue, it’s all these people involved giving ideas, and our trying to synthesize them … I just spent time with Jake, who is also a producer on the movie, and hopefully the star of the movie, and he’s doing research, and thinking about it, and has all kinds of good ideas, and — like all Dougie’s movies, but maybe more than the others — it’s an all-hands-on-deck, everybody’s-contributing-ideas process. Source

Check Hayden Christensen Fan News for the latest news updates.

Hayden Christensen, Doug Liman, Jumper 2

Jumper Sequel In Development - It may not be his next directing job, but Doug Liman is quick to let people know that Jumper 2 is definitely in the works.

Speaking to Craveonline last November about his new producing gig on Knight Rider, he was asked if Jumper was on the list of projects he'll be working on in the future.

"That's definitely something in the works but it wouldn’t be my next directorial assignment", said the director who is currently deciding his next project.

The director of 2008's Jumper took movie goers on a whirlwind ride around the globle in the story about a young man (Hayden Christensen) who finds he has the power to jump anywhere, anytime. The movie's subject about someone with the power to teleport is thoroughly fascinating and imaginative. Hayden Christensen, Jamie Bell and Samuel L. Jackson have reportedly already signed on for the sequel currently in development. There is a projected April 27, 2010 start date for filming on Jumper 2.

Doug Liman has some definite ideas about where a Jumper sequel might go.

"I'm very interested in using films as Trojan Horses, and mass media for Trojan Horses..."

Liman describes the work he is interested in as a director as more subversive than the traditional stories. It seems a risky concept but more often than not it has succeeded in Liman's films.

"So I'm interested in the Jumper sequel as a way to maybe introduce time travel and explore history in a way that you could get a mass audience in and maybe they'd learn about World War II, they'd learn about the Cold War which was something I was lucky enough to live through and the average moviegoer today doesn't even understand what it was like to go behind an iron curtain."

While answering questions about a possible Jumper Director's cut, Liman reveals one story shocker.....

A Doug Liman director's cut of Jumper would reveal some alternate story situations. There were scenes filmed that were never used because they had Hayden Christensen's character going in a different direction than the final theatrical version.

"I definitely have material where he [Hayden Christensen] actually leaves the finale. He's incredibly unheroic. He actually leaves. He has the ability to teleport. He just abandons Rachel Bilson and goes."

Still one has to wonder how a movie without a clear cut hero could succeed even in a world of movies where heroes are usually somewhat flawed. Times have changed. In the 40's and 50's Superman's Clark Kent had a normal upbringing being adopted by the perfect parents. Jumper's David, who grows up in the 90's and is a runaway, has a more cold and harsh reality. He is a product of his environment, left unguided you can understand if he strays from the straight and narrow path from time to time. Steven Gould's books set that up nicely.

In the novels, Steven Gould writes David as having some redeemable qualities as well. For instance Davy is empathetic to the homeless since he was once homeless as a runaway. He secretly gives away his coat or money (albeit stolen money) to street people because he knows what it's like to be mugged, have no money or home. He's somewhat compassionate even as he continues his quest for revenge against those who hurt him. He becomes the accidental hero while exacting his revenge when he has to make a decision to help others in the process or leave innocent bystanders in danger.

Times may have changed and how heroes are born may have changed but we still hope for them all the time.

What might we hope for in a Jumper sequel? We have a protagonist who had no great shakes of a family life and only that internal mechanism called a conscience to guide him. Unless David is a complete sociopath, the audience may still hope he finally comes to the right conclusions about love, honor and integrity even if he has to go through hell to get there. Maybe that's where the real story lies.

As played by Hayden Christensen, David is anything but a sociopath. He doesn't want to be the bad guy but makes a lot of bad choices. Millie becomes his anchor and his conscience and it is because of her he strives to be better. She not only becomes the heart of the story but the rock. That makes David an underdog that we can root for and care about in a story where Millie and David eventually become the team they progress to in the Jumper novels. With David also having to deal with additional characters like Griffin (Jamie Bell) and Roland (Samuel L. Jackson) added to the mix, there would seem to be some great story possibilities for Jumper 2.

Jumper 2 expected to be released sometime in 2011.

For the latest news about Hayden Christensen visit Hayden Christensen Fan News

Jumper Sequel Seems Likely

Hayden Christensen may yet again be a teleporter if the Internet Movie Database's info is accurate. While searching earlier today for news on director Doug Liman, I found Jumper 2 listed on IMDB as one of Hayden's upcoming projects.

The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has added Jumper 2 to it's movie pages and shows a projected release date of 2011. IMDB's status for the film is "announced" and "in development" and was last updated March 12, 2008. No cast is listed but listed are director, Doug Liman and writers Steven Gould (novel) and Simon Kinberg. You can keep track of Jumper 2 by clicking here to go to IMDB.

The Toronto Star reported earlier this year that Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson and Jamie Bell had all signed for two sequels, which will only happen if Jumper is a box office success.

The Jumper 2 Message Board is also online and active at IMDB and you'll find a permanent IMDB link on Hayden Christensen Fan News in the right column of the main site for handy access to Jumper 2 and all of Hayden's movie pages on IMDB.