What's Up With "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 2"?

Despite a disappointing domestic run, last year's action-horror flick "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters" made enough oversees to pull in $226 million worldwide from a $50 million budget. It was good enough for Paramount to quickly greenlight a Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 2.

 Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton are tipped but not locked to return as their bounty hunter characters for the follow-up.

Tommy Wirkola ("Dead Snow") who directed the first pic from a script he co-wrote with “All You Need Is Kill” scribe D.W. Harper told STYD at this year's Fantastic Fest that the script has been delivered:

"I've written the script for it. I've given it to Paramount and it's up to them now. But I don't know what's going to happen. Jeremy is so busy these days, I don't know how they're going to juggle all of that, but it's up to the studio. We'll see. Hopefully, I'll get to do another film first. They really liked the script I gave them. The first film was a learning curve for me working in the studio system and the script I wrote for the original was so different. We ended up taking a lot out and altering stuff that first time. I'm smarter now. I tried taking what I learned and still delivered a sequel script that's an R-rated action film."

Now, Renner sat down with Cinema Blend as part of his promotional tour commitments for October 10th biopic "Kill The Messenger". During that chat he was asked if he was signed on for the sequel:

"Not that I'm aware of, no. I know they're going to make one. I know they're writing a script. And that's when they will probably engage with any talent."

Told his availability may be an obstacle to the film getting made, he says:

"It's always an obstacle at this point... It's good to be busy. Yeah that movie ended up playing very well across the world. That was pretty awesome. I only heard that they were going to make another one. But that's all that I know."

He has not been contacted yet?:

"Yeah [they have not], and it's ultimately going to come down to--I know they have a release date and they really want to get it out there--but I have to have the time. I'm only one man, right? And then also Gemma's availability. It'll come down to availability I'm sure. "

Would he be interested in returning?:

"I don't have any problem with it. Yeah. It was a lot of fun. It was fun to do that movie, and just have a ball. "

Paramount is targeting a 2016 release at the moment.