Real Steel 2: Hugh Jackman Sequel Still Has A Fighting Chance

It seems hard to believe that Shawn Levy’s Real Steel (starring Hugh Jackman) was released more than a decade ago. Isn’t it time for a big-screen sequel, Real Steel 2? The good news is that Shawn Levy and Hugh Jackman are still very much considering the possibility of a Real Steel sequel.

A Sci-Fi Boxing Blockbuster Movie

For those of you who might have missed this amazing classic, Real Steel is set in the near future, where a washed-up fighter is pulled into the world of an underground robot boxing arena. In a desperate attempt to get himself out of debt, Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) basically auctions off the custody of his estranged son Max (Dakota Goyo) to get a new robot to take part in the fights and get himself out of rock bottom, and instead of simply winning the fight, the endeavour ends up helping father and son learn to love each other. The movie had a massive impact on the sci-fi genre with its winning combination of heart and action.

Though the film left an indelible impression on audiences everywhere, no sequel has emerged despite early rumours of a follow-up floating around for some years.

Even though most news and rumours we’ve heard recently have been little more than hearsay, there remains a substantial possibility that Real Steel 2 may be happening after all, with the news coming from Real Steel director Shawn Levy himself this time.

The Hugh Jackman Sci-Fi Classic

Back when Real Steel was released, things were much different at Walt Disney Studios. Sure, Marvel was already their most profitable franchise, and Star Wars was about to bring them yet another blockbuster success, but films like Real Steel had a more important place in the studio’s release schedule those days.

Fast-forward to the present and we could easily see a movie like this being released directly on Disney’s streaming platform—not because it doesn’t deserve a release in theatres, but because Disney+ has proved to be a rather profitable business venue for the company.

That’s the trickiest hurdle for any potential Real Steel 2: just what kind of production would it be? Would it risk a theatre release, where it would probably be obscured by some other of Disney’s high-profile releases, or would it be a direct-to-streaming affair?

Maybe that identity crisis is why we’ll be seeing a Real Steel show before we hear any word on a potential sequel.

Let’s not forget that, at the time of its release, Disney distributed the film, but DreamWorks Pictures produced it. The distribution rights ended in 2016, so it’s essentially a corporate miracle that there’s talk of a show being made for Disney+ in the first place.

A Real Steel Disney+ TV Show

In early 2022, we learned that Shawn Levy (who directed the original Real Steel) was working on an early concept for a Real Steel TV series that would debut exclusively on Disney+.

Also tied to the project is producer Robert Zemeckis, who will no doubt give the series his trademark seal of quality. At the time of this writing, no writer is formally attached to the project, which could mean that it will be some years before anything comes to fruition regarding this show.

However, the series has never been touted as the long-awaited series that fans have been expecting. As far as we know, Hugh Jackman might not even be a part of the Disney+ series, but he’s undoubtedly a fundamental part of the franchise.

Some fans have long considered a proper Real Steel 2 a pipe dream, but Levy seems intent on making it a reality, including Hugh Jackman.

Why We Need a Real Steel Sequel

Some fans might argue that the original film concluded its plot in a satisfying enough manner without needing any sequels at all. However, a good story becomes a great story if you can tell it again without boring your audience, and that’s precisely what a sequel does. In many cases, sequels are necessary to provide some closure or resolution for the story that’s already begun – not so much in Real Steel‘s case.

Perhaps to find the best example of what we should expect from a potential Real Steel franchise, we should look back at the most iconic boxing film series of all time.

Just like the first Real Steel film, Rocky didn’t explicitly need a sequel to go down in history. As we know, Rocky would eventually become one of the most prolific sports franchises in the history of cinema – setting the standard for every boxing film since. Even though it became somewhat formulaic in later sequels, Rocky was always successful because of its excellent character development, and that’s something we should hope for from a possible Real Steel 2.

Now, we’re not expecting this franchise to become a carbon copy of Rocky – I doubt anyone would be claiming to see a Real Steel 5. Still, it could follow in the footsteps of the People’s Champ and focus its attention on more character development for the sequel.

After all, the film is great fun for fans of fighting robots – let’s face it, everyone loves fighting robots; however, the heart of the story lies in the interactions between the characters, which is something we could always see more of in the sequels.

That’s why it’s so important for fans of the first movie that Real Steel 2 continues the story of Max and Charlie Kenton, as it just wouldn’t be the same without the two in the series.

Earlier in the article, we mentioned that Shawn Levy still hopes a Real Steel 2 with Jackman will become a reality, and that’s where things get truly interesting for die-hard fans of the film.

Hopes for Real Steel 2

According to Levy, plans for a Real Steel sequel have been on the back of his head for a while now. In 2011, when the first movie was released, the director/producer was associated mostly with comedies like the Night at the Museum series, but now, he’s better known for far more “strange” projects for Netflix.

According to JoBlo.com, Anthony Mackie, who starred as Finn in the first movie, still calls Shawn Levy twice a year with talks of a sequel and hopes that they will one day be able to make a sequel for the robot story happen. Fans of the sci-fi boxing movie are hoping that they will get to see other starts from the movie, like Evangeline Lilly

His work on Stranger Things gained him worldwide popularity, not to mention his business partnership with Ryan Reynolds – a relationship that brought us Free Guy and Netflix’s The Adam Project.

Now, Levy is attached to producing the Real Steel Disney+ show, but he still hopes to direct a proper sequel someday. Rumours even claim that Reynolds would also be co-starring alongside Hugh Jackman in the tentative sequel, something that fans of both Deadpool and the X-Men films would love.

New Updates On Real Steel 2

During CinemaCon, where new footage of Deadpool & Wolverine was being presented, Screen Rant caught up with Shawn Levy to discuss the potential for Real Steel 2. Surprisingly, the director affirmed ongoing discussions with Jackman about it and even highlighted a key reason why they still hold onto hopes for a sequel:

We always talk about Real Steel 2. Because the world won’t let us forget, and I’m glad for that.

We still haven’t got official confirmation on whether or not Real Steel 2 will be coming to theatres, but, at the very least, fan petitions and Shawn Levy’s enthusiasm for the franchise seem like strong indicators that it’ll happen somewhere down the line. One thing’s for sure, and it’s that Erik Nash, the supervisor behind the best visual effects that actually earned him an Oscar nomination, deserves to return for what could be the next huge hit in robot boxing. 

After all, we might soon be getting a Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots flick starring Vin Diesel, so it seems fair that Hugh Jackman should get another chance at bringing a boxing robot to life. Let’s hope that it happens sooner than later! This unique combination of sci-fi action and sports drama is hard to come by, and even harder for it to star one of the best actors currently working in the entertainment business.

RELATED: Everything We Want To See In Disney+’s Real Steel TV Series

Tell us, do you want a Real Steel 2 starring Hugh Jackman?