Sky High was released in 2005 at a time when superhero movies were still very much in their infancy; however, the genre was starting to gain traction, with the likes of Elektra, Constantine, Sin City, Batman Begins, Fantastic Four, and V for Vendetta all arriving in theaters.
Directed by Mike Mitchell, Sky High wasn't based on a pre-existing superhero or comic book, and followed the story of Will Stronghold, the son of two famous superheroes, as he attends "Sky High," a high school for aspiring superheroes.
Will, initially deemed powerless, discovers his super strength, navigating the challenges of high school cliques and training to become a hero. Alongside his friends, including the technopath Layla and the shape-shifter Warren Peace, Will uncovers a plot by a former hero, Royal Pain, to destroy Sky High.
The movie has a solid 73% Rotten Tomatoes score, and talking to ComicBook.com about helming Kung Fu Panda 4, Mitchell shared some of his ideas for a possible sequel and revealed that Sky High's success led to a meeting with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige.
"Save U, Save University. Sky High-er," the filmmaker joked. "Here's what it is. I know that Kevin Feig or Kevin Feige is a huge Sky High fan. Right when it came out, he met with me and we talked about it. His whole team loved it because it was the first superhero comedy that was having fun with the genre. But, at the same time honoring it. And so, the trick is this: That was not made under Marvel. That was before they [Disney] bought Marvel."
"If we could pull Kevin into it. And, we could get Disney to...Disney's so scared of Marvel," Mitchell continued. "Only Marvel can do superhero films. To which, I say, 'Great!' Let's have Marvel do Sky High! That would be fun. So, I'm ready to go."
We're not banking on that happening and, with so much talk of "superhero fatigue," it's hard to imagine any studio moving forward with a sequel to a relatively obscure superhero movie from nearly two decades ago.
Sky High grossed $86.4 million worldwide against a production budget of $35 million, making it a moderate success. The movie explores themes of identity, friendship, and acceptance, and was praised for its entertaining and humorous take on the superhero genre; the cast included names like Kelly Preston, Michael Angarano, Danielle Panabaker, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Kurt Russell.
Would you want to see a Sky High sequel?