Summary
School of Rock 2’s potential remains strong, despite delays due to scheduling conflicts with creator Mike White.
Hit Man showcases Linklater’s mastery of teacher scenes, rekindling fans’ desire for a School of Rock sequel.
Jack Black’s musical prowess could enhance School of Rock 2, while original creatives’ talent has only grown.
School of Rock has always been one of my favorite comedies, and after the release of Richard Linklater’s new movie that has a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes, it makes me want a School of Rock 2 even more. Although School of Rock 2 has been teased for years, nothing has ever come to fruition, with director Richard Linklater instead moving on to other great projects. One of these new projects has just released, and I absolutely loved it, but it also really reminded me how much I want Richard Linklater to make a School of Rock 2.
School of Rock is oftentimes cited as the film that truly launched Jack Black’s reputation as a movie star, with the 2003 Richard Linklater film being one of the biggest hits of the actor’s career. The film follows Jack Black’s Dewey Finn as he fakes his way into a school as a substitute teacher, with him quickly realizing that he can train his young students to become rock stars in order to finally fulfill his dream of winning a battle of the bands. School of Rock is still beloved, but I’m sad that it still hasn’t gotten a sequel.
Hit Man Is A Surprising Reminder Of How Well Richard Linklater Does Classroom/Teacher Scenes
It Reminded Me Of School Of Rock
Hit Man is the newest movie from director Richard Linklater, and the new Netflix release is what is really making me want a sequel to School of Rock. The film follows the somewhat true story of Gary Johnson, a college professor who moonlights as a fake hitman for the New Orleans Police Department. After falling for one of his targets, however, Gary gets caught up in a web of lies and fake personalities, one that risks his career at the NOPD as well as his life.
Despite them not being the main focus of the film, Hit Man features a lot of scenes of Gary Johnson teaching classes at his college, with these scenes reminding me just how well Richard Linklater can pull these types of scenes off. Much like School of Rock, these scenes perfectly show the interactions between a passionate teacher and his connections to his students, with them weaving together engaging dialogue and storytelling in order to hit home the themes of the film. While they aren’t as prevalent as School of Rock’s, Hit Man has a lot of great classroom scenes.
Related 10 Best School Of Rock Quotes
From Dewey’s ramblings on being hungover to teaching the children advanced scientific theories, these are the best quotes from School of Rock.
Glen Powell’s Hit Man Character Is The Opposite Of Jack Black’s School Of Rock Role In A Way
One Pretends To Be A Teacher, One Is A Teacher
Despite the similarities between Richard Linkater’s two films, Glen Powell’s Hit Man character is the exact opposite of Jack Black’s School of Rock character in a funny way. In School of Rock, Jack Black’s character has to pretend to be a teacher, with him actually being a musician, an entirely different secret profession. However, Glen Powell’s Hit Man character is actually a teacher, with him hiding his real profession to pretend to be a hitman.
It is a humorous detail that Gary Johnson’s boring teacher job is actually the exciting secret job that Dewey Finn has to take on, showing a fun parallel between the two films. So, while School of Rock and Hit Man tell different stories, they have similar structures in this way. I was constantly thinking about this parallel between the two films while watching Hit Man, which led me to think about how a School of Rock 2 could be great.
Why School Of Rock 2 Could Be Great
There Is All Kinds Of Potential
Although it has been over two decades since the first School of Rock movie was released, School of Rock 2 could still be great. Since the first film was released, Jack Black has only become a bigger star, meaning that a second School of Rock movie could capitalize on this by making Jack Black’s return to the franchise an even bigger event. Jack Black’s increased musical and comedic talents could elevate School of Rock 2 to be just as good as the first film, bringing back the character of Dewey Finn over 20 years later.
The premise of a teacher teaching how to be in a rock band is simple enough that all kinds of stories could stem out of it, meaning that there are endless possibilities for the story of School of Rock 2. Director Richard Linklater has continued to make great films over the years, and original School of Rock writer Mike White has gone on to create HBO’s critically acclaimed The White Lotus, meaning that the talent of the original creatives behind the first film has only increased in the years since. Thus, they could make an even better School of Rock 2.
On top of that, the two decades that have passed since the original School of Rock are another big plus, as it means that the original School of Rock kids could return as adults. Combining the original cast with a new cast of kids means that School of Rock 2 could tell a story about getting the band back together, a staple of the music movie genre. This would be the perfect way to bridge the gap between the two eras of the School of Rock franchise, opening up the possibility for an absolutely fantastic sequel.
Related Now Is The Perfect Time For School Of Rock 2 (But Don’t Get Your Hopes Up)
20 years later and Jack Black’s star power is as bright as ever, but it will take more than the actor’s enthusiasm to make School of Rock 2 work.
Will School Of Rock 2 Ever Actually Happen?
I’m Worried That Scheduling Things Will be Hard
While School of Rock 2 would be great, nobody is sure if the movie will actually happen. In March 2024, Jack Black expressed interest in making School of Rock 2, showing that the possibility of a sequel film happening now is high. However, the actor said that the sequel would have to be written by original writer Mike White, who is currently busy with The White Lotus. Now that White has moved on to creating and directing TV shows, it may be harder to get him back writing for a School of Rock sequel, making the occurrence of a sequel challenging.
This goes back on Jack Black’s announcement that a School of Rock sequel was in development from 2023, with The White Lotus possibly getting in the way of the sequel’s development. While the School of Rock Broadway musical and TV show means that the interest is there for a sequel, getting Mike White and Richard Linklater’s busy schedules aligned seems to be the biggest challenge, with it being what is stopping my dream of a School of Rock sequel from becoming a reality.
School of Rock
Directed by Richard Linklater, School of Rock stars Jack Black as Dewey Finn, a struggling musician who poses as a substitute teacher in order to get a job at a local prep school. With no teaching experience. Dewey subsequently begins to organize his students into a rock band in order to enter a music competition. Besides Black, Joan Cusack, Sarah Silverman, and Miranda Cosgrove also star.
Release Date March 22, 2004
Studio(s) Paramount Pictures
Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures
Writers Mike White
Cast Jack Black , Mike White , Miranda Cosgrove , Joan Cusack , Sarah Silverman
Runtime 109 minutes
Budget $35 million
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