We Can Be Heroes 2 - What We Know So Far
In the early 2000s, director Robert Rodriguez was on a bit of a kid movie kick. He launched a successful franchise with 2001's Spy Kids, which led to him writing, directing, and producing all three sequels, and between decidedly not-kid-friendly movies like Sin City and Planet Terror, Rodriguez also found the time to give youngsters some more heroes to look up to with The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.
That was back in 2005, so it came as a shock to many younger Millennials and Zoomers when it was announced those heroes would return as married adults in the spiritual sequel, We Can Be Heroes. While Sharkboy and Lavagirl make an appearance in the Netflix original film, they have fairly limited roles (Sharkboy doesn't even talk in the movie). Instead, the focus is on the children of a different group of superheroes, known as the Heroics. When the adults are kidnapped by an alien threat, it's up to their kids to learn how to use their powers and work as a team to save the day.
Robert Rodriguez proves he still has what it takes to make kid-friendly fare with We Can Be Heroes becoming an instant hit on Netflix. A couple of weeks after the film came out, the streaming platform announced a sequel, and while there's not a ton of information out there so far, here's what we do know concerning the action-packed follow-up.
Spoilers for the ending of We Can Be Heroes ahead!
What's the release date for We Can Be Heroes 2?
When Lavagirl actress Taylor Dooley announced the sequel on Twitter, it came with the intriguing tidbit that Netflix and Robert Rodriguez "have started developing a sequel." That certainly makes it sound as though there's at least an idea in place for where these characters could go in a future installment, and if a script gets completed soon, then production could get rolling later this year.
Since the main focus of We Can Be Heroes is on the superheroes' children, it would make sense to get the ball rolling sooner rather than later. The primary appeal of the film is seeing kids step in to take the lead when their parents go missing (much in the same vein as Spy Kids). Even if they team up with their parents for a second outing, it would make the most sense for the youngsters to still look ... well, young.
If Netflix wanted to release the sequel around the same time of year as the original — namely, Christmas — then it would make the most sense for the sequel to be released in late 2022. Keep checking back for new developments as they become available.
Who's in the cast of We Can Be Heroes 2?
No official casting announcements have been made just yet, but it's expected the main cast of heroes should remain largely the same. On the kids' side, that means we can likely expect the return of YaYa Gosselin as Missy Moreno, Vivien Blair as Guppy, Andy Walken as Wheels, Nathan Blair as Wild Card, Dylan Henry Lau as Slo-Mo, and Lotus Blossom as A Capella. For the grown-up heroes, fans shouldn't be surprised to see the return of Pedro Pascal as Marcus Moreno, Boyd Holbrook as Miracle Guy, and Christian Slater as Tech-No. While Priyanka Chopra Jonas plays the villainous Ms. Granada in the film, she's revealed to be an alien by the conclusion, so it's unclear if she would return or if another big bad would enter the picture to cause trouble.
The primary question as far as the sequel's cast is concerned is how much Sharkboy and Lavagirl we're going to get. We Can Be Heroes functions as a sort of spiritual sequel, but the duo don't have a ton of airtime in the Netflix film. Rodriguez has said that the lack of lines and the fact his face is covered the whole time wasn't enough to bring Taylor Lautner back. That could easily change for a sequel, and if Sharkboy was given a larger part to bite into, then maybe it would warrant the return of the Twilight star.
What's the plot of We Can Be Heroes 2?
No official synopsis is out yet, so we're left to ponder what the superhero sequel could be about. The first film ended with the kids rescuing their parents, but it's revealed that the whole plot was orchestrated by the aliens to train the children to learn to work as part of a team so that they could take over as guardians of Earth without parental supervision. Now that the kids have a little more control over their powers, a sequel could further explore these characters coming into their own.
It's a world of endless possibilities, and Rodriguez isn't short on ideas, either. In an interview with Digital Spy, Rodriguez stated, "I already have lots of ideas for more kids in the future, more adventures, they're just now becoming a team. You could go on and on with this." It sounds as though more heroes will come into the fold. As for the original team, the same basic Spy Kids progression could serve We Can Be Heroes, allowing us to watch these kids grow up across several films.
It's a lot of speculation at this point, but we'll add the information here as it becomes available.