Gabrielle Union Confirms ‘Bring It On’ Sequel Is in Development

It’s official. There’s a new Bring It On sequel in the works, and Gabrielle Union is confirming the news.

Union, 50, who starred in the original film along with Kirsten Dunst and Eliza Dushku, is revealing that she wants to bring the story back to the big screen. However, this time, she wants to approach it from a different angle. 

For those not familiar with 2000’s Bring It On, it tells the story of Toro cheer captain Torrance Shipman (Dunst), who learns that the former captain of her team has been stealing cheer routines from The Clovers, one of their rival teams from East Compton.

Playing Isis, the leader of the cheer team The Clovers in the movie, Union wants a Bring It On sequel that would focus specifically on the story of The Clovers.

The Story of The Clovers

“We’ve been developing a sequel forever. But for folks who don’t exactly understand how long development can take in Hollywood, that could be five minutes or 50 years.” Union says to Variety.

Back when the first movie filmed, Union had revealed that she, along with R&B girl group Blaque members Shamari Fears DeVoe, Brandi Williams, and the late Natina Reed, had been asked to shoot additional scenes for the film. Test audiences loved the storyline of The Clovers and wanted to see more screen time with the characters.

“Story time. So we shot these snippets after the movie wrapped. Because once test audiences saw the movie, they wanted more of the Clovers,” Union revealed. “We shot these only for the trailer, not for the movie to make people think we were in the movie more than we were. The end.”

Union has also admitted to having regrets about she approached her character.

“I was given full reign to do whatever I wanted with Isis in ‘Bring It On’. And I chose respectability and to be classy and take the high road because I felt like that would make her be appropriate — the right kind of Black girl. Black girls aren’t allowed to be angry — certainly not demonstratively angry. And I muzzled her,” Union said. “I need to come to grips and acknowledge where I failed Isis. When given full control, I made her ‘appropriate.'”

“I would have read the Toros for filth, as well as allowed her to be angry and allowed her full humanity. Part of being a full human is the ability to express rage when harmed.” Union added.

The Success of the Original Film and the Bring It On Sequels

2000’s Bring It On was directed by Peyton Reed, with the script penned by Jessica Bendinger. It was an instant box office hit, making back more than it’s initial production budget on opening weekend alone. It went on to gross more than $90 million worldwide against a budget of $11 million. Needless to say, the film’s success spurred several sequels.

First was 2004’s Bring It On Again, starring Anne Judson-Yager, Bree Turner, and Faune Chambers Watkins. It was the only follow-up of the five sequels that shared the same producers as the original film.

Next there is 2006’s Bring It On: All or Nothing, which starred Hayden Panettiere. Then there was 2007’s Bring It On: In It to Win It, followed by 2009’s Bring It On: Fight to the Finish, and 2017’s Bring It On: Worldwide #Cheersmack. All of the sequels were direct-to-video, along with one Halloween-themed television film sequel. And sadly, none of the follow-ups had any of the original cast.

What’s Next for Gabrielle Union?

Union currently has three films in production and more than ten additional projects in development. Fans can see her next in Netflix’s The Perfect Find, where she stars opposite La La Anthony and Gina Torres.

While there’s no release date planned or production scheduled for the Bring It On sequel, we’ll keep you posted as more details surface!