The Tomorrow War 2 Plot, Possible Returning Cast, And More Details

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Amazon has spent huge sums of money to secure films with the potential to become tentpole franchises. Now it looks like the streaming platform's $200 million investment in "The Tomorrow War" has paid off handsomely. "The Tomorrow War" is set in 2022, when time-traveling soldiers from the future arrive and warn humanity that an alien race called the Whitespikes is threatening to destroy the world. Chris Pratt stars as Dan Foster, a Green Beret who's drafted into the future military and sent to war.

The sci-fi thriller premiered on July 2, 2021, and quickly became the most-watched film on the streaming platform, as well as the most-viewed streaming movie of the summer so far. Not even a week later, it was already time to talk sequels. Here's everything we know about "The Tomorrow War 2."

An April 2023 interview with Uproxx stirred up some serious excitement for a sequel to "The Tomorrow War": When the reporter expressed surprise that a sequel did not already exist, director Chris McKay replied, "Yeah. Well, there is a script coming for that."

No release date has been announced, however. But based on the last film's production timeline, we can at least make an educated guess as to when it might hit screens. Chris Pratt was first announced as the star in "The Tomorrow War" in February 2019. The film began shooting the following September and wrapped in January 2020. It was originally scheduled for a Christmas 2020 release, but the COVID-19 pandemic changed Amazon's release schedule. Minus the pandemic-related delays, that's a timeline of just under two years. Given that timeframe, the earliest "The Tomorrow War 2" could premiere is in 2025.

In a piece about negotiations for the "Tomorrow War" sequel, Deadline reported that Amazon and Skydance are discussing bringing back all the (surviving) members of the cast. Along with lead star Chris Pratt, the report names co-star Yvonne Strahovski as a good candidate to return — she plays Col. Muri Forester, Dan's adult daughter and commander in the future. Also mentioned are co-stars Betty Gilpin, Sam Richardson, and J.K. Simmons, who plays Dan's father. The report also mentions Edwin Hodge as a candidate to return, but since his character dies, how that would work remains unseen. Additionally, the companies are trying to bring back most of the behind-the-scenes talent, including director Chris McKay and screenwriter Zach Dean.

Of course, it's also very likely that the sequel will introduce some brand new characters, which will mean adding new cast members. We'll keep you updated once that information comes in.

It's still much too early for concrete details to become available, but it sounds like McKay has a clear idea for where the franchise can go in "The Tomorrow War 2." "The Tomorrow War" ends when humanity appears to have destroyed the Whitespikes for good. But they also learn that the Whitespikes are actually creatures that were genetically engineered by an even more intelligent and dangerous alien species, with the goal of depopulating the Earth.

In an interview with ComicBook.com, McKay said that future "Tomorrow War" movies would explore this alien race, their origins, and the threat they pose to humanity. "We talked about the world of these creatures, where they came from, how they were created or raised, and how they were maybe being used. I like world-building experiments, especially when you have the potential of some kind of time travel," McKay said. "I think that a sequel could go in a lot of fun areas and the ethnographic study of the Whitespikes in their world and where they came from, and what their purpose was, and all of that kind of thing."

Since time travel is on the table, "The Tomorrow War 2" could go in practically any direction. But one thing is certain: The war is far from over.

If you have Amazon Prime — and if you've already watched this movie, odds are that you do — you're in luck. "The Tomorrow War" is available exclusively on Amazon Prime.

Besides "The Tomorrow War," there's a ton of action flicks on Amazon Prime to scratch that particular itch until more news of "The Tomorrow War 2" breaks. A 2022 favorite for Michael Bay fans, "Ambulance" is available for free on the streamer, alongside the Korean zombie film "Train to Busan," the "Indiana Jones" franchise, Steven Spielberg's "Minority Report," the first "Top Gun" film (which is perfectly paired with 2022's "Top Gun: Maverick"), and recent Bond installment "Skyfall."