Summary

• A sequel to Lucy hinges on Scarlett Johansson's return, as her performance was key to the original film's success.
• Despite challenges in continuing Lucy's story, bringing back Johansson in different forms is not impossible.
• Director Luc Besson has struggled to find a way to continue Lucy's story after her transformation in the original film.

The anticipated sequel to Scarlett Johansson's sci-fi thriller, Lucy, could only happen under one condition made difficult thanks to the ending of the original movie. Directed by Luc Besson, the 2014 thriller depicted Johansson as the titular character, who accidentally develops telekinesis powers while being forced to work on a drug mule; as she develops her new skills, she is assisted by a professor and chased by a drug lord who wants her power for himself. Lucy received positive reviews upon release and proved a success at the box office, grossing more than $469 million worldwide.

A sequel to the movie has been anticipated since the movie's release in 2014. Director Luc Besson has been open about the struggles to create a sequel to Lucy and his inability to connect to the project. While there is still hope for a sequel to the sci-fi movie, there is one crucial element that it requires for it to be as successful as the original.

Lucy 2 Should Only Happen If Scarlett Johansson Returns

Her Performance Was What Made The Movie Successful

The main reason why Lucy was popular with audiences was down to Johansson's strong performance and powerful action sequences; if the sequel were to focus on another character, other than hers, it would certainly not have the same draw as the original.

In 2015, it was announced that Lucy 2 was in development, but this movie has not come to fruition since then. Plans for Lucy 2 are still under debate; no updates about the sequel have been released since 2017. In 2022, a spin-off series was announced with Morgan Freeman reprising his role of Professor Samuel Norman, but it hasn't yet been confirmed if Scarlett Johansson will reprise her role.

A sequel for Lucy would only be made possible if Scarlett Johansson were to return to the franchise. Her character was the main focus of the original story, and she proved her skills as an action star through her work in this movie. The main reason why Lucy was popular with audiences was down to Johansson's strong performance and powerful action sequences; if the sequel were to focus on another character, other than hers, it would certainly not have the same draw as the original.

Scarlett Johansson Returning For Lucy 2 Is Difficult - But Not Impossible

Her Character Could Be Brought Back in Different Forms

The ending of Lucy sees Johansson's character reaching 100% of her brain capacity, before transforming into a supercomputer and leaving her physical form behind. She leaves behind a flash drive for Professor Norman and disappears into the spacetime continuum. The movie offers a solid ending for Lucy, which makes it difficult to set up a continuation of her story in a sequel; director Luc Besson has admitted in interviews that continuing Lucy from where it ended was the most difficult challenge for him (via Collider).

Despite the conclusion given to Lucy's story in the original movie, it could still be possible for Scarlett Johansson to reprise her role in Lucy 2. There is the possibility of having Johansson return as a voice or recreating Lucy's body and bringing her back physically. While these options are slightly convoluted and do carry the risk of undoing the ending of the original movie, a return for Johansson in the next Lucy movie could be possible.

Source: Collider