24 Jump Street in Development with Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum

“24 Jump Street” is moving forward, with Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, and Ice Cube in talks to return for the third film in Sony’s R-rated action-comedy franchise. Rodney Rothman, known for “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” is set to direct and co-wrote the screenplay with Hill and Meghan Malloy. Original producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who directed the first two films, are also expected to return alongside Neal H. Moritz.

The new project would continue a franchise that began with “21 Jump Street” in 2012 and “22 Jump Street” in 2014. The first film introduced Hill and Tatum as Schmidt and Jenko, two mismatched police officers who go undercover at a high school to expose a drug ring. It became a major box-office success, earning more than $200 million worldwide and marking Lord and Miller’s live-action directorial debut. Ice Cube played Captain Dickson, the duo’s stern superior. The sequel followed the same characters into college and performed even better, grossing $331 million globally.

A third “Jump Street” film has been in development at Sony for more than 10 years. At one point, the studio considered “23 Jump Street,” which Channing Tatum once praised as the best script he had read for a third movie. That version was intended as a crossover with Sony’s “Men in Black” franchise, but it was eventually scrapped.

The decision to move directly to “24 Jump Street” appears to continue one of the series’ running jokes. The ending of “22 Jump Street” playfully teased a long list of possible undercover missions for Schmidt and Jenko, including medical school, culinary school, firefighter school, dance school, seminary, space, a video game, and even an animated series. Jumping from 22 to 24 fits the franchise’s self-aware, meta-comedy style and avoids the expected “23” title.

Tatum currently has only an offer to return, and formal negotiations are expected soon. If the key cast members sign on, the film would mark the long-awaited next chapter in one of Sony’s most successful comedy franchises, which built its popularity on action, satire, and the chemistry between Hill and Tatum.