Get Ready for a Third Round of 'Pitch Perfect'
Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at 8:00AM 
Margaret here with breaking news: Hollywood loves money, water is wet and Pitch Perfect 3 is officially in the works.
Pitch Perfect 2 is still in theaters, and presumably since it's nearing a $300 million worldwide take (which would be more than respectable even without its vastly profitable soundtrack tie-in), Universal has just announced that they've staked out July 21, 2017 for the threequel.
Critics were less than enthused about the second installment, but heaven knows if they can squeeze three movies out of The Hangover and Meet the Parents then there's no harm in in making room for movies starring and produced by women in the franchise club.
Screenwriter Kay Cannon is in talks to return for round three, and while there's no word on whether Elizabeth Banks will be back to direct, it has been announced that both Rebel Wilson and Anna Kendrick are on board.
See how ecstatic she looks?
The question is... how? Considering how inevitable another sequel seemed, it was strange to see the Pitch Perfect 2 screenplay consistently cutting off potential avenues for a sequel.
Of course, the most sensible (read: boring) solution would be to repeat the premise with a new slate of actors and have the original stars cameo in mentorship roles. But it's early yet, and we can hold out hope for a dramatic creative swerve. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a gritty game-change chronicling the harsh reality of post-college a cappella life, where the gang reunites to busk in the big city by night while by day they try to break into an unsympathetic industry. Featuring lots of shaky-cam, naturally. In what direction would you steer the Pitch Perfect series?
Reader Comments (7)
They almost have to keep Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson as the leads-- that is what the people want to see. But they'll have to steer clear of the Glee formula, which makes me a little worried about your "post-collegiate a cappella singers in the big city" idea.
What worries me most of all is the chance that they'll focus on the wrong returning characters. I thought that the storyline revolving Hailee Steinfeld and the weird magician kid was a big miss in the latest installment. (Who came out of the first movie wanting to know more about the magician?!) If they try to make that work again or pump up the role of the arguably offensive Latina character, I'm out.
Is it only me, or does Kendrick resemble Toni Collette in that photo?
Pitch Perfect 3: Song of the Undead.
Pitch Perfect 3: The Winter Songstress.
Pitch Perfect: Tokyo Drift.
Since Hollywood wants "versus" movies to be the new thing then I say make Pitch Perfect vs. Bring It On happen.
Troy- YES, YES, THANK YOU. Since I first saw that photo, I have not once been able to force myself to see Kendrick in it at all, and it's been nagging me that I couldn't figure out who she did remind me of.
Now we have a mission, Tim -- to get those two together in a movie as sisters (initially, I was going to suggest mother and daughter, but there's only a 13ish-year difference).
As for the direction of the next Pitch Perfect, may I suggest directly into an iceburg, leaving no survivors?
Paul, Santy, Troy:
Y'all should be executives. Can't decide what's better.