Netflix is reportedly working on a sequel to Murder Mystery, the acclaimed rom-com starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. While Netflix ratings are usually a mystery, this seems to imply that the first movie was a big hit for the streamer.
Netflix released Murder Mystery back in June, and reported that viewership was high. According to a new update from The Hollywood Reporter, it was high enough to earn another installment. The outlet heard from Netflix insiders that a sequel is on the way.
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James Vanderbilt is reportedly in negotiations to return as the screenwriter for Murder Mystery 2. Vanderbilt scripted the first movie, and served as a producer as well. It sounds like the movie is in the very early stages of development, as Vanderbilt is the only crew member mentioned in the report.
Of course, the movie would need to get Sandler and Aniston back as well. The duo first co-starred in a romantic comedy back in 2011 with Just Go with It. Sandler has done a lot of work with Netflix recently, so he may be easier to get ahold of, but Aniston is about to help launch competitor Apple TV+, so there may be some tough negotiations there.
Murder Mystery stars Sandler as a New York City police officer named Nick Spitz, and Aniston as his wife Audrey, a hairdresser. In the movie, Audrey demands that Nick take her on the European vacation he promised to her when they first got married, and he wings it, getting on a plane with nothing booked.
The couple stumbles into a friendship with a wealthy old man, and a high-stakes murder mystery from there. The action comedy has the twists and turns of any classic Agatha Christie novel, but with slapstick jokes along the way.
After its release, Netflix announced that Murder Mystery had been viewed in nearly 31 million households around the U.S. in its first 72 hours out. This was one of the biggest opening weekends the streaming service ever had, and the numbers continued to climb in following months.
However, this viewership did not translate to critical success. At the time of this writing, Murder Mystery holds a 45 percent rating on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, and just a 39 percent score among audience members. The movie was widely regarded as a flop, with CNN‘s Brian Lowry calling it “a tired, bordering on tiresome endeavor — feeling like the pilot for a not-very-good TV show — as well as a reminder that Netflix’s content buffet caters to all kinds of tastes.”
So far there is no word on release or even production for the untitled Murder Mystery sequel.
