It has been 15 years since Will Smith first put on the frayed beanie and sour demeanor of John Hancock, the scruffy superhero with a drinking problem and a nasty case of an identity crisis. Now, the Oscar-winning actor has revealed that the long-speculated sequel to Hancock is happening, and he wants Zendaya to join him.
Smith secretly revealed this information while live streaming with popular Twitch streamer xQc, leaving fans who had given up on Hancock 2 being a thing in the future amazed.
“There’s a cool, really cool Hancock 2 idea,” Smith teased during the chat. “We have never even spoken about it, so I’ll give you one piece. Zendaya will be being approached for Hancock 2, for a role in Hancock 2.”
For anyone needing a refresher, the original Hancock (2008) followed Smith’s character, a super-powered outcast with a drinking problem and amnesia trying to better himself as a reluctant hero. The film, featuring Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman, left audiences questioning Hancock’s origins and relationship with Theron’s character, Mary. Acclaimed or not, the film grossed more than $600 million globally, and a sequel seemed a foregone conclusion until it wasn’t.
Talk of a follow-up has bubbled up intermittently over the years, with Theron herself saying she would come back “in a heartbeat” if a sequel were ever to happen. The speculation is back on now that Smith has confirmed it’s alive and in active development.
But what could Zendaya do in this context? Based on her recent history in comic book projects (Spider-Man: No Way Home) and prestigious dramas (Euphoria), she would add an exciting new element to the Hancock universe. Could she play a younger, super-powered being who needs guidance? A long-lost relative? Or perhaps even a new enemy? Smith isn’t revealing those details yet, but fans are already guessing.
Scheduling could be one obstacle if Zendaya were to sign on. She is currently shooting the third season of Euphoria and will star in Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey. But with the star power attached to Hancock 2, there’s little doubt that the studios will do what they must to bring it to fruition.
Along with Hancock 2, Smith teased another long-anticipated sequel, I Am Legend 2. He said he and Michael B. Jordan had just spent a week developing their characters for the new film. Unlike Hancock, this sequel has been actively developing since 2022 and will ignore the original movie’s theatrical ending.
Details are scarce for now on both sequels, though one thing is clear : Will Smith is preparing to make a big Hollywood comeback. Whether as a reformed antihero in Hancock 2 or a survivor in some post-apocalyptic world, fans are excited to see him in action again. And if Zendaya joins the Hancock sequel full-time, there’s the cherry on top.
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