24 Jump Street: New movie in the works – Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum might return

The "Jump Street" universe is expanding with a new film: "24 Jump Street." The action-comedy sequel is currently in the works, according to Variety. Fans of the film series featuring undercover cops Morton Schmidt and Greg Jenko have something to look forward to: the two lead actors, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, are in talks to return. The same goes for Ice Cube, who played their superior, Captain Dickson, in the previous installments.

The film series is a reimagining of the TV series "21 Jump Street," in which young police officers conduct undercover investigations at high schools, among other places. What seems a bit odd at first is the title of the sequel. After all, the new film is the third installment in the series. But the two predecessors are titled "21 Jump Street" and "22 Jump Street." So where on earth did "23 Jump Street" go?

Why the new film is called 24 Jump Street

Basically, it's likely a self-deprecating joke. Just how much the film series likes to poke fun at itself is evident, for example, at the end of "22 Jump Street." During the credits, a series of short scenes show the two protagonists, Morton Schmidt and Greg Jenko, taking on a string of additional undercover missions that grow increasingly absurd and serve as the premise for potential sequels like "27 Jump Street: Culinary School" or "42 Jump Street: Beauty School."

Just how much fun the creators are having with naming the sequel "24 Jump Street" is evident in a social media post by producer Neal H. Moritz. We're shown the film's script, which reads:

"24 Jump Street: It took so long to make we had to skip one."

Crossover between Jump Street and Men in Black

What is primarily meant tongue-in-cheek likely also refers to a previously planned sequel of a somewhat different kind that ultimately never came to fruition. Under the title "MIB 23," there was supposed to be a crossover between the "Jump Street" universe and the alien-populated world of the sci-fi comedy "Men in Black." That may sound far-fetched, but it was confirmed by Channing Tatum. About two years ago, the actor spoke to ComicBook about it and emphasized:

"It's still the best script that I've ever read for a third movie."

It's all the more unfortunate that the crossover has apparently been put on hold. But now fans can look forward to "24 Jump Street." We can only hope that the sequel continues the series in an original way, even without aliens. After the heroes ended up in high school in "21 Jump Street" and in college in "22 Jump Street," we can look forward to seeing where they'll be investigating this time. And just how successful the new film will be. After all, the first installment grossed $201 million at the global box office. The second installment even reached $331 million. "24 Jump Street" will have to match that first.

One thing is certain: Jonah Hill is credited as screenwriter alongside Meghan Malloy and Rodney Rothman. The latter is set to direct. Rothman previously served as co-director on "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse." With Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the directors of the first two "Jump Street" films are also on board for "24 Jump Street." This time, however, as producers. Other producers include Neal H. Moritz, Channing Tatum, Reid Carolin, Jonah Hill, and Matt Dines.

21 Jump Street: TV series starring Johnny Depp

The TV series on which the films are based ran from 1987 to 1991. "21 Jump Street" spans 5 seasons with a total of 103 episodes. For Hollywood star Johnny Depp, the role of the protagonist, Officer Tom Hanson, served as a career booster. Other main cast members included Holly Robinson as Sergeant Judy Hoffs, Peter DeLuise as Officer Doug Penhall, Dustin Nguyen as Sergeant Harry Truman "H.T." Ioki, and Steven Williams as Captain Adam Fuller.