Is Real Steel 2 Still Happening With Hugh Jackman Back In The Robot Boxing

Should “Real Steel 2” come to pass, we can reasonably assume Jackman will reprise his role from the first film as Charlie Kenton. In the original movie, Jackson’s washed-up former boxer reconnects with his estranged son Max (Dakota Goyo) after recovering a sparring robot, Atom, in a junkyard and training it to become a contender in the arena, along the way rekindling ties with Bailey (Evangeline Lilly), the daughter of Charlie’s old boxing coach. Anthony Mackie also costarred in “Real Steel” as Finn — a friend of Charlie’s and owner of an underground boxing center — and has even pitched his own wild idea for a sequel centered more on his character:

“I always thought about the idea of going to the underground world and seeing what the reality is. The underground boxing circuit is so different than that last fight [the finale League match in the movie] with all the glitz and the glam and the polish. I feel like you can do a ‘Mad Max’ meets ‘Real Steel,’ and I could be Tina Turner.”

As intriguing as that approach sounds, it’s more likely “Real Steel 2” would pick up with Charlie and Max’s story than veer off on a tangent like that at this stage. Speaking of Max, Goyo hasn’t acted professionally since 2014, which puts his involvement into question, more so than other members of the “Real Steel” cast. The relationship between Charlie and Max was absolutely the heart of the first film, so ideally, the follow-up would bring Goyo back into the fold — assuming, naturally, he’s as deeply invested in this fighting robots sequel happening as the rest of us. Think positive, folks!