Young Washington was a timely release over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, and the box office has rewarded the film handsomely.
In its first few days in theaters, the movie has already grossed nearly $20 million in ticket sales, prompting its distributor, Angel, and creator to immediately announce a follow-up. So what do we know about the sequel, titled 1776, so far? Here’s a look.
Who will star in Young Washington?
The full cast for the film has not yet been revealed, but perhaps some changes to the original film’s cast will be in store. As the title indicates, the new film will center on the Revolutionary War and the eventual independence of the United States of America in 1776, whereas Young Washington chronicled the life of the first president-to-be from the years 1753 to 1755.
The first film starred William Franklyn-Miller as the titular George Washington, alongside Ben Kingsley as Robert Dinwiddie, Andy Serkis as Edward Braddock, Joel Smallbone as George William Fairfax, Kelsey Grammer as Thomas Fairfax, Mary-Louise Parker as Mary Ball Washington, Mia Rodgers as Sally Fairfax, Jonno Davies as James Mackay, John Foss as Lawrence Washington, Michael Benz as Thomas Gage, Leo Hanna as Christopher Gist, and Clement Toyon as Joseph Jumonville.
What else is there to know about 1776?
Jon Erwin (House of David) announced the new film in a social media post, explaining, “I’m Jon, creator of Young Washington, and I’m going to answer the number one question we’re getting about the movie right now. When people see it all over the nation, they love it. They cheer. We’ve shown it all over. And this one question keeps coming up: ‘Are you going to make another movie? Is there a follow-up on the life of George Washington?’ So we’re here at Mount Vernon. This is a museum dedicated to him. So I thought, ‘Well, there’s no better place in the world to answer that question than right here.’ The answer is yes, we are working on another one right now.”
“We have just begun writing another Revolutionary War epic on the year 1776,” Erwin’s statement continued. “If you think Washington‘s big, wait for 1776. It’s epic in every way. It’s another incredible chapter of this man’s life and legacy. So I hope you love Young Washington. I hope you come here after you see it. This is incredible, and I hope you’re ready for 1776. We’re writing it right now.”
1776, Premiere Date TBA, In Theaters