Director Mike Mitchell is spilling the beans on all the juicy details about the canceled sequel to Sky High — which even had a working title called Save U. The 2005 original film followed the adventures of students at a superhero high school, and despite Disney’s 2016 announcement of a sequel, Sky High 2 sadly never took flight. Keep reading for details on why and if there’s still plans for Sky High 2.
What Happened to ‘Sky High 2’?
Unfortunately, Save U faced several hurdles that led to its cancellation. Despite its decent box office performance, the film didn’t achieve the blockbuster success Disney had hoped for. At the time of its release, the superhero genre wasn’t as popular as it is today, which impacted Sky High’s reception.
Director Mike Mitchell described it as an “underdog” overshadowed by competing films like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, while also noting that a sequel would only be possible if all the original actors returned, suggesting availability and willingness were factors.
Starring Michael Angarano, Danielle Panabaker, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Steven Strait, Nicholas Braun, Malika Haqq, Khadijah Haqq, Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston, among others, the movie told the story about Will Stronghold (played by Michael) who was the son of two well-known superheroes (played by Kurt and Kelly). When it’s time for Will to attend Sky High, the high school for budding heroes, the teen still hasn’t developed any powers. After being assigned to the sidekick track at the floating high school, Will develops his father’s strength and leaves his old friends behind. At the school dance, he’s forced to use his powers to protect the school when his dad’s enemy, Royal Pain, resurfaces for revenge.
What Would ‘Sky High 2’ Be About?
Sky High‘s director spoke about what to expect in a potential Sky High 2 during a June 2024 interview with ComicBook.
“All the original kids would be back again, including Cousin Greg [Nicholas Braun]. That was one of his first films. Mary Elizabeth Winsted as Royal Pain, Kurt Russell would have to be back as well. We figured all the kids are now grown up and they’re all university teachers at a place called Save U. You just take all that fun and we bring it from the high school into the college years. It would be such a blast.”
Could ‘Sky High 2’ Still Happen?
It’s unclear, but there are fully developed concepts for a Sky High sequel (as seen above!).
No matter what the future holds for the Sky High world, the director fondly reflects on his work on the 2005 film, seeing echoes of that experience in the films he creates today, such as Kung Fu Panda 4.
“I’ve never had so much fun working on something,” Mike said. “That is also to say Kung Fu Panda 4 was pretty great to work on as well. Both of them got to incorporate funny action too, which I think is really important. I love a film where you don’t just get to be funny, but you get to really have fun and also insane action. Those films are similar in that way.”
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