After announcing his retirement following the release of The Great Escaper in 2023, Michael Caine is reportedly set to return for a new sequel film – and it’s one viewers might find surprising.
According to Variety, Caine is not yet officially signed on, but is expected to reprise his role as Dolan in a now-confirmed sequel to 2015’s The Last Witch Hunter, with Vin Diesel also returning.
In the original movie, Dolan was a priest who assisted Diesel’s character Kaulder in his fights to stop a plague brought about by a witch queen.
The Last Witch Hunter grossed $27 million in North America and $146 million worldwide, and was a passion project for Diesel.
Confirming the news of the sequel, Lionsgate Motion Picture group chair Adam Fogelson said in a statement: “The Last Witch Hunter has grown since its theatrical release into a global fan favourite, with audiences continuing to discover and rewatch it across every platform over the past decade.
“That enduring enthusiasm made clear there is an appetite for more stories set in this world. Vin and I have partnered many times over the years, and he is a true force in our industry.
“I’m thrilled to be reuniting with him as he returns to this iconic role, and excited by how advancements in filmmaking technology now allow us to economically deliver a sequel on an even more ambitious scale.”
Caine, who turned 92 this year, announced his retirement when speaking with The Telegraph in 2023, saying: “I am bloody 90 now, and I can’t walk properly and all that. I sort of am retired now.”
He also told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4: “I’ve figured, I’ve had a picture where I’ve played the lead and it’s got incredible reviews. The only parts I’m likely to get now are old men, 90-year-old men, maybe 85. And I thought, ‘Well, I might as well leave with all this – I’ve got wonderful reviews. What have I got to do to beat this?'”
Prior to appearing in The Great Escaper, Caine’s other film roles in recent years include appearances in Christopher Nolan movies Tenet and Dunkirk.
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