A few months ago we ran into Brie Larson and asked her if she’d be returning for the hotly anticipated sequel to last year’s surprise breakthrough “21 Jump Street.” She sounded totally in and was looking forward to returning to the lighter world of big budget studio fare after spending a lean year making thought-provoking independent features (like this summer’s amazing “The Spectacular Now” and “Short Term 12“). Apparently, this is no longer the case, as she recently told ScreenCrush that she would not be back for another round of R-rated hilarity alongside Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill.
Larson recently met with directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who also helmed the original film (based on the beloved television series about cops posing as high school kids), to talk about the sequel, which would presumably have the characters entering college (as teased at the end of the first movie). That’s where they let her know she wouldn’t be back. “After speaking with them, it’s not something I’m going to be a part of anymore than just in spirit. I will be a virtual cheerleader for those boys doing it again. And I’ll be so happy to see the movie and laugh as hard as I did during the first one,” she told the site, turning us into one very Sad Keanu.
But, it turns out, the decision wasn’t exactly hers to make as she added, “It’s not necessarily my choice. It’s not like they said, ‘Would you do it?’ and I said, ‘No.’ That’s just the way the story goes.”
Again, it’s a bummer—Larson is one of the most exciting young actresses working today—so whatever she does instead of “22 Jump Street,” you can bet we’ll be there. In fact, she’s in “The Spectacular Now” which opens this weekend and leads the excellent “Short Term 12” that hits screens on August 23rd. So even without ‘Jump Street,’ there’s still plenty to come from Larson.