Paul Feig is in early talks with Paramount to direct a sequel to The Italian Job, according to The Wrap. No talent is yet attached to the project.
The development comes at a commercial high point for Feig. His thriller The Housemaid earned $400 million worldwide, making him one of the more reliable directors of mid-budget genre cinema. That momentum appears to be driving Paramount's interest.
The original 2003 film, directed by F. Gary Gray, grossed $176 million worldwide against a $60 million budget. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, and Edward Norton, it follows a crew of thieves recovering $35 million in stolen gold from a former partner who betrayed them. The film's climax, a chase involving three Mini Coopers through the streets of Los Angeles and the L.A. River, became one of its era's defining action sequences.
Paramount has been aggressive about catalog IP under its current leadership. The studio recently greenlit High Side, a motorcycle crime film starring Timothée Chalamet, directed by James Mangold. The Italian Job sequel fits into that strategy.
Feig's next confirmed project is The Housemaid's Secret, set for December 17, 2027 at Lionsgate. When he would take on the Paramount project remains open.
