Introduction to Terrible Bosses
Although Charlie Day and Jennifer Aniston’s characters often contradict the films, both are aligned to want a third film in the R-Rated Comedy franchise. After Aniston recently announced that she would like to revisit the project, the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia actor told The Hollywood Reporter that he would "be absolutely down for another" Terrible Bosses film.
Interest in a Third Film
In addition, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter at a recent New York screening of his latest film, Day said that "he had held some talks with some people behind the camera", which indicates that his and Aniston’s wish to return to the project could be more than idle speculation. He added: "We will see – hopefully there is an appetite in the studio." Day referred to the new Naked Gun film as an expression of his support for theater comedies.
Support for Theater Comedies
“I’ve just seen The Naked Gun and it was so much fun to be in a theater with a comedy with a capital ‘C’”, Day said. "I would love to make a third one," he said about the Terrible Bosses series. "Hopefully we can do it." In June, Aniston told People that Terrible Bosses is the project that she would be most interested in revisiting.
Aniston’s Interest in Revisiting the Franchise
"Jason Bateman and I talked about it, and Charlie Day also talked a lot about it," said Aniston about the franchise. "So that’s something that we would be super fun to do." She added: "The characters are funny and we need a comedy. I personally think that comedy is a necessity. This is one that we would really have fun going back to see where these crazy cats are today."
Franchise History
The two films, released in 2011 and 2014, helped Aniston to shed her "girl next door" image. "I was always as the girl next door, you know, that is ingenuous," she said. "It was really fun to play someone like this because it is so far away from everything that I am. And I think the director liked it – so that’s not what you would expect from this girl. It was the fun of it. I think it was obviously creative for me."
Box Office Performance
The first Terrible Bosses film, released in summer 2011, was written by Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley, and Jonathan Goldstein and starred Aniston, Day, and Bateman, along with Jason Sudeikis, Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell, and Jamie Foxx. The film follows three friends (Day, Bateman, and Sudeikis) who conspire to murder their terrible bosses. The original film grossed almost $210 million worldwide on a budget of $35 million.
Sequel Performance
In the 2014 sequel, directed by Sean Anders, most of the original stars returned, and Chris Pine and Christoph Waltz were added to the cast. However, the film did not perform as well at the box office, grossing almost $108 million worldwide on a budget of $42 million. Talking about the follow-up on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast in 2015, Bateman said that it was "garbage when it comes to the box office", and he suggested that a sequel might not have been necessary, although he said he loved both films.
Future of the Franchise
"Many people saw the first, but there are many films that have made a lot of money in which nobody is interested in seeing another one," said Bateman. "People were just not interested in seeing another one. We saw the first, we had fun, and I don’t have to see a second one." Despite this, Aniston and Day are still interested in revisiting the franchise, and with talks already underway, a third film may be a possibility in the future.
