Written by Kieron Byatt
Netflix original film Bright immediately launched into cult status upon release last month and garnered enough support that the streaming service swiftly ordered a sequel.
With Will Smith and Joel Edgerton already confirmed for the follow-up, here’s what we want to see when Bright 2 (eventually) hits the small screen.
The Dark Lord
One of the strongest and more intriguing elements of Bright was the rich world and history writer Max Landis crafted, breathing ingenuity and a sense of strange into the buddy-cop sub-genre by creating a thick fantasy background, one that remained true to the works of the likes of Robert Jordan, Raymond E. Feist and so on.
Nothing is more intriguing than a hidden menace whose face is never revealed. Bright’s Dark Lord is only ever mentioned by name, but his illusiveness and mysterious nature definitely lends itself a Voldemort mixed with Sauron vibe. With the right casting, prosthetic work and script, having the Dark Lord front and centre as Bright 2’s threat could elevate the danger and stakes for officers Ward and Jakoby.
Flashbacks To The war!
The entire world of Landis’ story is laid thick with the turmoil this 200-year-old conflict has left in its wake. The social and cultural parallels to our own fairy-free day-to-day existence is clear, but Landis ingeniously made the focus of Bright the grimy crime-riddled streets of LA, using the fantasy pastiche to inform the conflict.
Much like giving us a glimpse at the Dark Lord, a flashback sequence to show us the war would bind us closer to the world as well as allowing a sweet opportunity for some eye-popping spectacle!
General World Expansion
As you may have guessed, these first three points are all very closely linked. Bright had the feel and aura of being melded in a Training Day, Narc, Lethal Weapon and Colors factory with the aesthetic of a Warcraft and Dark Souls dream. And it nailed the nail-biting intensity of the more earnest and buddy-cop fare. With that being said, it could benefit from expanding on the worldiness, not just of its fantasy elements but its buddy-copliness too.
We’re talking things like seeing more Elves, Centaurs and Fairies in action, the US Department of Magic’s Task Force, Orc gangster rappers and most of all how Officer Ward’s Bright powers may figure into his life as a police officer, and on that note…
Let’s Get Personal!
Bright is already set in a gritty and realistic tone, so the drama would reap gravity greatly if Ward or Jakoby were magic’d right where it hurts. But this wouldn’t pay off without the script expanding on Jakoby and Ward’s friendship.
The groundwork has already been laid in the first chapter, the officers start off at ends but finish with an earned badge of brotherhood, so in Bright 2, let’s dive more into that: sharing dinner and lives with one another. In fact, on the note of world expansion, a closer glimpse into Jakoby’s home would achieve this and then some.
You can stream Bright now via Netflix.
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