Warner Bros. Greenlights Journey 3, With Brad Peyton Directing

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island was one of those movies that people in film circles completely ignored (or perhaps just wondered why it had been made), while average filmgoers lapped it up and turned it into a surprise hit – it’s grossed $270 million so far – with the movie substantially outgrossing its predecessor, Journey To The Center Of The Earth.

Now Warner has moved fast to give the greenlight to a third film in the franchise, with THR reporting they’re bringing back director Brad Peyton and screenwriters Brian Gunn and Mark Gunn for Journey 3.

No story details are known, but the studio is already aiming for a 2014 release for the 3D family film. No deals have been signed yet for any returning cast members, and it’s not certain if Josh Hutcherson’s contract included sequel clauses.

Here’s what director Brad Peyton had to say about expanding this Jules Verne based franchise, “I grew up a fan of Verne, so I know a lot about the mythologies. Mysterious Island was one of eight or nine really seminal works. I know we’ve just scratched the surface of what we can do. This one’s going to be a lot bigger. We’re going to go to a completely different world. It’s just going to be a bigger experience and we’re going to grow the mythology. Journey 2 was about rebooting a franchise. Now it’s about making the seminal work in the franchise.”