Edge of Tomorrow 2

But we want to live, die, repeat!

Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt are expected to return for the sequel to the cult sci-fi action film.

The 2014 film Edge of Tomorrow, known to confused home-video purchasers by the title Live. Die. Repeat., ended its MC Escheresque plot structure with one twist more. Our valiant heroes Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt fought through wave after wave of alien invaders, and though they both lost their lives in the process, they bested the final boss. But as Cruise lay dying, the queen’s blood got on him and ported him back in time yet again, this time somehow to a past where the alien menace has already been beaten back. The weird timeline tampering left some viewers scratching their heads, but that film’s writer Christopher McQuarrie has plans for them.

While Doug Liman may be hard at work promoting his upcoming war thriller The Wall, that doesn’t mean he’s forgotten about an Edge of Tomorrow sequel. Last October, Liman promised that the movie was still moving forward, with the director even going so far as to suggest that the second film would “revolutionize” how people thought about movie sequels. And now Liman has dropped a few exciting updates, including a new title for the film and the promise of returning stars Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. The short version? It’s happening, dopey name or not.

In a world dominated by superhero franchise juggernauts and book adaptations and reboot after reboot after reboot after reboot, original concepts for science fiction movies are few and far between. Which is weird, because these movies tend to be extremely good (here’s looking at you, Oblivion, Looper, Moon, etc.) but they also tend not to do as well as they should at the box office, probably because they don’t have recognizable costumed heroes and formulaic plots that we can bundle ourselves in like giant, loud security blankets. Thankfully, probably due to its sheer star power and the fact that it did better than most, 2014’s Edge of Tomorrow is getting a well-deserved sequel, and according to its director, it’s poised to change the world of sequels forever.

One of the most frustrating parts of my job are the complaints from some viewers that never line up with reality. When people want to talk about movies with me, the first question after “What should I see right now?” is always some variation of “Why are there so many sequels? Why doesn’t Hollywood make original movies?” I hear this all the time. But the sequels continue to make huge money, while the occasional risk-taking originals tend to fare poorly.