Will there be no Jack Black in Goosebumps 2? According to Variety, Sony Pictures has tapped Rob Lieber (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) to pen a new version of the sequel script that doesn’t include Black’s caricature of YA horror author R. L. Stine. While there is no deal in place for his return as of now, the studio continues to leave the door open for Black to reprise the role should his schedule allow. Black is currently filming another classic YA horror adaptation, The House with a Clock in its Walls, opposite Cate Blanchett. That Eli Roth-helmed film currently has the same September 21, 2018 release date the Goosebumps sequel has.
Besides scheduling difficulties, Black’s price tag of between $6-and-$8 million dollars may have also been a sticking point, as the studio is looking to reign in costs.
The sequel was previously given the title Goosebumps: Horrorland, and had the first film’s director Rob Letterman (Shark Tale, Monsters vs. Aliens) and screenwriter Darren Lemke (Turbo) attached, with Deborah Forte (The Golden Compass) and Neal H. Moritz (22 Jump Street) also coming back as producers. The studio may go back to Lemke’s script should Black return.
The first Goosebumps made $150 million on a $58 million budget, and hit #1 on the sales charts when it was released on home video. Since there are 62 books in the original “Goosebumps” series, the filmmakers will have plenty of material to wade through in order to craft a story.
Based on Scholastic’s worldwide best-selling book series, with over 400 million copies in print, Goosebumps starred Jack Black (School of Rock) as “Goosebumps” author R.L. Stine, along with Dylan Minnette (Prisoners), Ryan Lee (Super 8) and Odeya Rush (The Giver). When Zach (Minnette) unwittingly unleashes magical monsters on the town, he must team with his new friends Champ (Lee), Hannah (Rush) and Stine (Black) to send the ghouls back where they came from before it’s too late.
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Dylan Minnette in Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps," starring Jack Black.
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Ryan Lee in Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps," starring Jack Black.
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Jack Black stars in Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps."
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Jillian Bell, left, and Amy Ryan in Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps," starring Jack Black.
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Things are starting to unravel for Stine and the kids as Slappy burns a manuscript
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Odeya Rush, left, and Dylan Minnette in Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps," staring Jack Black.
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L-r, Ryan Lee, Odeya Rush, Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, Director Rob Letterman with camera operator Jacques Jouffret on the set of Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps."
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L-r, Jack Black, Ryan Lee, Dylan Minnette and Odeya Rush star in Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps."
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L-r, Ryan Lee, Jack Black, Dylan Minnette and Odeya Rush star in Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps."
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Top to bottom, Ryan Lee, Odeya Rush and Dylan Minnette in Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps," starring Jack Black.
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Odeya Rush in Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps," starring Jack Black.
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Director Rob Letterman on the set of Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps," starring Jack Black.
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Jillian Bell in Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps," starring Jack Black.
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L-r, Odeya Rush, Jack Black, Ryan Lee and Dylan Minnette star in Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps."
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Dylan Minnette and Amy Ryan in Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps," starring Jack Black.
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L-r, Ryan Lee, Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush and Jack Black star in Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps."
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Jack Black, left, and R.L. Stine on the set of Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps."
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Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps," starring Jack Black.
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Goosebumps
When the creatures from R.L. Stine’s (Jack Black) Goosebumps series come to life – including the Abominable Snowman (pictured) – it’s up to Stine to team up with three teenagers to get these figments of Black’s imagination back in the books where they belong and save the town.
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Goosebumps
Jack Black, left, and Dylan Minnette star in Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps."
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Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps," starring Jack Black.
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Goosebumps
Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps," starring Jack Black.
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Goosebumps
When the creatures from R.L. Stine’s (Jack Black) Goosebumps series come to life – including the Praying Mantis (pictured) – it’s up to Stine to team up with three teenagers to get these figments of Black’s imagination back in the books where they belong and save the town.
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Goosebumps
When the creatures from R.L. Stine’s (Jack Black) Goosebumps series come to life – including the Vampire Poodle (pictured) – it’s up to Stine to team up with three teenagers to get these figments of Black’s imagination back in the books where they belong and save the town.
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Jack Black stars in Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps."
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L-r, Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, Ryan Lee and Odeya Rush star in Columbia Pictures' "Goosebumps."
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