Sony has put 24 Jump Street into development, naming Rodney Rothman to direct from a script he co-wrote with Jonah Hill and Meghan Malloy, and opening talks with Hill, Channing Tatum and Ice Cube to return to the R-rated crime-comedy franchise.
The move reunites the creative team behind the profitable franchise: Phil Lord and Chris Miller are back as producers alongside Neal H. Moritz, while the two previous films proved reliable box-office draws — 21 Jump Street grossed more than $200 million worldwide and 22 Jump Street brought in $331 million.
Rothman, who steps in as director, is listed as a co-writer with Hill and Malloy, signaling that one of the franchise’s original stars is shaping the new screenplay. That dual role, and the producers’ return, give the project a continuity of voice even as the series itself has been dormant for more than a decade.
There is a deliberate gag built into the announcement: Sony is advancing a film titled 24 Jump Street, skipping the number 23. That running joke traces back to the coda of 22 Jump Street, and it remains notable because no plot details have been shared with this new entry despite the film’s formal development kickoff.
The actors in talks would reunite the core trio associated with the series’ identity. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum played the mismatched partners Schmidt and Jenko in the first two films, and Ice Cube is expected to return as Captain Dickson. Tatum publicly signaled his appetite for another sequel in 2024, saying, "You know what, I’m going to put some good juju out there, and I’m going to say I would love to see 23 Jump Street," and adding that he would "love to do it with Jonah." Those remarks undercut any notion the principals are uninterested; the current stage is about closing deals.
From a practical standpoint, the announcement leaves two immediate items to watch: casting confirmations and story details. Phil Lord and Chris Miller — who directed 21 Jump Street in 2012 and 22 Jump Street in 2014 — return as producers, and their involvement has been a through-line. With Rothman directing from a script that includes Hill as a writer, Sony has intact creative anchors; what remains unresolved is the film’s actual premise and whether all three actors will finalize agreements.
The franchise’s roots are plain: the films are based on the 21 Jump Street television series that premiered in 1987 and ran five seasons. The two-screen adaptations leaned into R-rated parody and a glossy buddy-cop engine, and they once flirted with a crossover idea involving Men in Black that ultimately did not move forward. The commercial record of the first two films explains why Sony is returning to the brand now.
For now, the headline fact is the project’s status: 24 jump street is officially in development, with a director attached, producers signed, and the lead actors in talks. Negotiations are expected to move quickly; production hinges on whether Hill, Tatum and Ice Cube convert talks into contracts and whether Sony is satisfied with the finished script.
If those deals close, the production could slide from development into a public schedule — but until then the single most consequential unknown is the story. Sony’s choice to skip 23 leaves the film’s tone and direction deliberately opaque, and the franchise’s future will be decided by the answers to two linked questions: will the three principals sign, and what exactly will they be asked to play?
