Adam Fogelson says Michael 2 is being targeted for a production start toward the end of this year or early next year. The release thought now runs to the end of calendar 2027 or the first half of calendar 2028. Lionsgate is moving ahead, but it is still holding back budget and other final details.
Fogelson sets the window
Fogelson made the update on a Q1 call, tying the sequel’s timetable to a narrower production window than the market had before. He said, “we are targeting a production start towards the end of this year or early next,” and added, “I think that end of calendar ’27 and the first half of calendar ’28 would be the current thought of roughly where the movie would go.”
For a sequel to a title with a $1 billion-plus profile, that combination matters because the studio is already talking about both delivery timing and cost discipline at the same time. Fogelson said Lionsgate wants to make “the biggest, best sequel” while keeping it “at the right price,” which puts the sequel in a tighter planning lane than a blank-check follow-up.
Previously shot sequences
Fogelson said the sequel can draw on material already shot for the first production, including “a number of sequences, particularly some big musical sequences,” that are “almost sure to be incorporated.” He also said Lionsgate can “take advantage of some stuff that we previously shot,” which gives the sequel a built-in production shortcut as the studio maps out what still needs to be made.
That matters because the first film already had a significant amount of footage shot, and the sequel is being built around a library of material rather than starting from zero. Lionsgate is also working from the reality that the first film was delayed from November 2025 to the final weekend of April 2026, so the sequel’s calendar is being drawn against an already shifted release path.
Budget stays under wraps
Fogelson said Lionsgate is “not ready to announce everything at the moment,” and he was equally direct on the money side: “So we’re not ready to give guidance on the budget yet, but we certainly will be able to take advantage of some stuff that we previously shot, as I had said before.” That leaves the studio publicly committed to the sequel, but not yet ready to put a price tag on it.
He also said Lionsgate views profitability on its films in a ten-year cycle and that Michael will have a long tail. For now, the practical takeaway is simple: the company is aiming to turn the first film’s existing material into a faster, cheaper sequel path, but the full production plan will stay partial until Lionsgate opens the numbers.
