Some people might remember The Iron Giant from 1999. After all, it is a huge critical success, so much so that it can claim a 96 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately, The Iron Giant was a commercial failure, though it is amusing to note that this wasn’t the fault of the movie but rather the movie studio. In short, Warner Bros. had no faith in The Iron Giant, which is why it hadn’t bothered to put much effort into its marketing campaign. In fact, it is interesting to note that the movie had a single teaser post made, which winded up being used as the movie poster instead. Suffice to say that when The Iron Giant tested well with test audiences, it was much too late for Warner Bros. to change course, thus costing it one of the better opportunities to come its way in that period of time.
With that said, there are also people who are bound to recognize The Iron Giant because it was the first movie of Brad Bird in a directorial role. Granted, Bird might not be as famous as say, either James Cameron or Steven Spielberg, but he is nonetheless an incredible success who can claim movies such as The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol. As a result, there are a lot of people who are interested in what Bird is up to, which in turn, explains why they might be familiar with The Iron Giant even if they didn’t see it in the movie theaters when it came out.
Regardless, the important point is that there are a surprising number of people who are familiar with The Iron Giant in spite of the fact that it was a flop at the box office. Moreover, there are a surprising number of people who are fans of The Iron Giant because since its release, it has managed to become something of a cult classic. As a result, it should come as no surprise to learn that there are people who have been wondering about the chances of a follow-up to the movie being made at some point in the future.
Will There Ever Be a Follow-Up to The Iron Giant?
Plot-wise, a hypothetical Iron Giant 2 is not impossible. Sure, the titular character was blown to pieces when he intercepted the missile, but the movie made it clear that he was putting himself back together in Iceland of all places, meaning that it wouldn’t be impossible for him to make a return to Rockwell in the United States. However, the more important issue is that there is no real need for a follow-up from a narrative perspective. The Iron Giant had a clear narrative in mind that was told to the viewer over the course of a single movie without leaving loose ends that can serve as the starting point for something new. As a result, the chances are high that a new movie would not be just pointless but also an unwelcome addition to existing material.
For that matter, it should be mentioned that Bird isn’t interested in making a hypothetical Iron Man 2. He is famous for not being interested in making sequels to his movies, which is a refreshing contrast with much of Hollywood in recent times. Granted, Bird is actually set to release The Incredibles 2 in the not too distant future, meaning that he isn’t wholly opposed to making sequels. However, as far as he is concerned for the time being, he told the story that he wanted to tell with The Iron Giant, meaning that is it.
Looking Non Existent
Summed up, the chances of a hypothetical Iron Giant 2 are not nonexistent but the next thing to it. Theoretically, Bird might change his mind at some point in time, while Warner Bros. might choose to make a follow-up in spite of the fact that the original was a flop at the box office. In practice, interested individuals shouldn’t bet on it unless they have so much money that they can afford to waste it on chasing the unlikeliest of outcomes. The Iron Giant was complete on its own, meaning that there is no real momentum for a follow-up barring something most unexpected happening.
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