Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum and Ice Cube to return in '24 Jump Street'

Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum and Ice Cube are in talks to return for 24 Jump Street, a brand-new third instalment in the hit R-rated crime comedy franchise. 

The highly anticipated film is officially in the works at Sony, bringing the beloved main cast back into negotiations more than a decade after the last movie hit theatres. 

Rodney Rothman, known for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, has signed on to direct the comedy after co-writing the screenplay alongside Hill and Meghan Malloy. 

The revival marks a major step forward for the successful film franchise, which has been stuck in development many for years. 

Following the massive success of 2012’s 21 Jump Street and 2014’s 22 Jump Street, Sony spent a long time developing a now-scrapped third film called 23 Jump Street, which was originally planned as a crossover with the Men in Black franchise.

Tatum previously praised that cancelled crossover, describing it as the best script he had ever read for a third movie. 

Why isn't there a '21 Jump Street' movie

While a sequel has been a long time coming, fans might wonder why the studio is skipping straight to 24 Jump Street instead of making the twenty-third chapter.

The decision to jump a number is actually a continuation of the franchise's signature running joke. 

The films have always been a highly self-aware reboot of the original 1980s television series starring Johnny Depp, and the closing credits of the second film famously mocked the idea of endless sequels. 

In that ending, Schmidt and Jenko were shown going undercover in a series of increasingly ridiculous scenarios, including medical school, culinary school, dance school and even space, which essentially served as a fictional 23 Jump Street. 

By naming the new project 24 Jump Street, the creative team is keeping that tease alive for the audience.

The original film became a surprise global phenomenon by pairing Hill and Tatum as Schmidt and Jenko, two underachieving police officers sent undercover at a local high school to dismantle a dangerous drug ring.