’24 Jump Street’ Lands Director as Franchise Returns
Sony Pictures has officially greenlit 24 Jump Street, and somehow the franchise is still finding new ways to make fun of itself. According to multiple outlets, including Deadline, Jonah Hill,…
Sony Pictures has officially greenlit 24 Jump Street, and somehow the franchise is still finding new ways to make fun of itself.
According to multiple outlets, including Deadline, Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, and Ice Cube are all in talks to return for the third installment in the R-rated crime comedy series that began with 21 Jump Street. Rodney Rothman will direct from a script he co-wrote with Hill and Meghan Malloy. Phil Lord and Chris Miller are returning as producers alongside Neal H. Moritz.
Why the Title Matters
The title itself may be the most fitting joke the franchise could make.
22 Jump Street famously ended with an extended montage imagining Schmidt and Jenko's future undercover assignments, including medical school, culinary school, dance school, firefighter training, a seminary, outer space, a video game, and even an animated series. The entire sequence was a parody of Hollywood's obsession with sequels, with the film openly mocking the idea that the series would continue forever.
That montage essentially served as a fictional 23 Jump Street. As a result, naming the real third movie 24 Jump Street is not a mistake. It is the franchise recognizing a joke it made years ago and committing to the bit. The number 23 was already taken long before this project officially moved forward.
A Director Who Knows the Formula
Rothman appears to be a natural fit for the series.
He previously co-wrote 22 Jump Street with Michael Bacall and Oren Uziel, giving him firsthand experience with the franchise's self-aware style and layered comedy. He later co-wrote and directed Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, proving he could balance inventive storytelling with sharp humor on a much larger scale.
Having Hill co-write the screenplay alongside Rothman and Malloy also helps maintain the voice that made the earlier films work. Rather than bringing in an entirely new creative perspective, Sony is keeping key elements of the franchise's comedic DNA intact.
A Long Road Back
Getting a third Jump Street movie made has taken nearly a decade.
Sony has been developing a follow-up since 2016, when the project was known as 23 Jump Street. At one point, it was planned as a crossover with the Men in Black franchise. Despite excitement surrounding the concept, the project never moved forward.
Tatum was especially enthusiastic about that version, once calling it “the best script that I’ve ever read for a third movie.”
As recently as October 2025, however, Tatum publicly said he did not believe a third film would ever happen. That makes this week's announcement all the more surprising.
The shift from 23 Jump Street to 24 Jump Street, along with a new director and a newly developed script, suggests Sony has rebuilt the project from the ground up rather than simply dusting off an old plan.
Familiar Faces Behind the Scenes
Lord and Chris Miller will return as producers rather than directors, allowing the filmmakers who launched the franchise to remain involved while giving Rothman the opportunity to take creative control.
Their production company has stayed busy in the years since 22 Jump Street, but their continued involvement provides an important connection to the films that audiences embraced in the first place.
For now, fans will have to wait for a trailer and release date. But after years of false starts and uncertainty, 24 Jump Street is finally real, which feels exactly like the kind of punchline this franchise would appreciate.
