It would be a mistake for Disney to release The Greatest Showman 2, a sequel to 2017’s musical drama The Greatest Showman. Audiences were given a magical Christmas gift back in 2017, with the film becoming one of the highest-grossing movie musicals of all time. Members of the cast, including leading man Hugh Jackman and Michelle Williams, have expressed interest in appearing in a follow-up. In 2019, The Greatest Showman 2 was confirmed to be in production. However, since the 20th Century Fox buy-out by Disney, the sequel has found itself in development limbo.
Loosely based on real events, The Greatest Showman tells the story of P.T. Barnum, an eccentric entertainer who, in search of fame and fortune, gathers uniquely talented and interesting individuals to perform in his new attraction: Barnum’s Circus. Jackman, no stranger to musicals on stage and screen, stars as Barnum, supported by an ensemble cast including Keala Settle, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, and High School Musical veteran Zac Efron. Told through nine original songs, the uplifting story glosses over some of the real Barnum’s more questionable acts in favor of painting him as a caring and inspirational showman.
Despite a plethora of historical inaccuracies, the film’s massive entertainment value was undeniable. Still, since all the narrative threads were tied up at the end, there’s difficulty wondering where The Greatest Showman 2 would take the story next, implying it would be a mistake to attempt a follow-up. By the end of the film, the successful circus had been handed over to Efron’s capable Phillip Carlyle, and Barnum was finally spending valuable time with his family, providing audiences with a palpable sense of closure and a real feeling of satisfaction. It would be a shame to lose that in a sequel. Considering the true story of the real P.T. Barnum’s life, a sequel would either unravel plot points that have already been resolved while continuing to show Barnum as a charismatic hero or diverge completely and investigate the darker areas of his life: a risky choice as a follow-up to its crowd-pleasing predecessor.
After bringing in $434.9 million at the box office and with the soundtrack album being the biggest global sale of 2018, The Greatest Showman 2 would no doubt rake in more money for Disney, but this would be at the detriment to the narrative: beloved characters would feel stale, plot points would be unoriginal and forced, and the second soundtrack wouldn’t be as good. Musical soundtracks often stick with audiences longer than the film itself. The soundtrack to The Greatest Showman is no exception, contributing greatly to the film’s financial success. As a follow-up, a more immersive and exciting experience would be to see this story adapted into a live stage show rather than a sequel, bringing the glamorous and musical spectacle of the circus to audiences with a greater impact than a potentially lackluster sequel.
There’s no denying that The Greatest Showman is a delightful film that works perfectly as a stand-alone feature. A sequel would simply convolute the narrative and disappoint once-besotted audiences. Taking into account the real Barnum’s life, it would be a mistake for The Greatest Showman 2 to continue his story, and it would make more sense for Disney to quit while they’re ahead, letting Jackman’s dramatised version of the man be remembered truly as The Greatest Showman.
