The 21 Jump Street Crossover Channing Tatum Still Wants To Happen

It only took two years to go from the 2012 release of "21 Jump Street" to the 2014 release of its sequentially named sequel. Sadly, the subsequent path to "23 Jump Street" (or anything else set in the "Jump Street" universe) continues to be a long and winding road. 

Surprisingly, it's been nearly eight years since the release of "22 Jump Street," a movie that earned positive reviews and grossed $331 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo). In most cases, a healthy box office return like that would probably ensure at least one more sequel, but alas the "Jump Street" franchise has sadly sat dormant ever since. 

Despite the lack of releases in recent years, it hasn't been for lack of trying. Among the many other revealing aspects of the 2014 Sony hack (via Vox) was the proposal of a crossover between "Jump Street" and another beloved Sony property. Interestingly, Channing Tatum was recently asked about the failed proposal and revealed he's still game to do it. So, what's the premise?

While it might sound a bit odd at first, it turns out Sony was genuinely excited about producing a crossover between the "Jump Street" and "Men in Black" films. After the surprise was ruined by the 2014 Sony leak, Variety reported in 2016 that plans for the crossover were still on and, that same year, Sony announced at CinemaCon that the film would be called "MIB 23," essentially serving as a sequel to both franchises. Sadly, after years of living in development hell, the project was canceled in 2019.

In a recent interview with Tatum, Collider editor-in-chief Steven Weintraub expressed his disappointment that the project failed to move forward. "You're preaching to the choir, man," Tatum responded (via Collider). "I still think it could work, I really do." Tatum went on to describe the script as "the best third sequel to any franchise" he has ever read.

Sadly, Tatum admitted that he doesn't believe Sony is especially "motivated" to move forward on the project, because, as he put it, "It's a big overhead on that movie." While we don't know the exact ins and outs of the associated contracts, Tatum's description of the difficulties involved makes it seem plausible that any producers on board either franchise could require a hefty payday to allow such a project to occur.