After waiting 30 years to work together on screen, Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry address the chances of The Union 2. The Netflix movie sees the former two-time Oscar nominee star as Mike McKenna, a New Jersey construction worker who is reunited with his high school sweetheart Roxanne Hall, played by the latter Oscar winner, as she attempts to recruit him for her secret intelligence agency and embark on a mission to recover sensitive data. Alongside Wahlberg and Berry, the ensemble Union cast includes J.K. Simmons, Mike Colter, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Alice Lee and Jackie Earle Haley.
In honor of the movie's Netflix premiere, Variety spoke with Wahlberg, Berry and director Julian Farino to discuss The Union. When asked about the ending's lack of a kiss between its lead characters, the group actually revealed this was an intentional decision on the creative team's part in an effort to build anticipation for a potential sequel, and even teased Netflix had a part in suggesting a multi-movie plan.
Much to Berry, Wahlberg and Farino's point, The Union's ending did leave the door open for a potential sequel. Having successfully brought down Colter's traitorous Nick Faraday and recovered the list of secret agent identities, Mike and Roxanne were finally able to enjoy some alone time by attending a wedding in their hometown and plan a vacation together. Their plans were somewhat hampered, however, when Simmons' Tom Brennan appeared and mentioned a mission in Marrakech they're both needed for, giving them three days to relax before getting back to work.
Despite this sequel invitation, though, there are some key hurdles the creative team will have to overcome if they hope to develop The Union 2. One of the biggest ones is that of the response to the first film, with The Union garnering generally negative reviews from critics and audiences alike, sitting at just a 44% approval rating from the former and 29% from the latter on Rotten Tomatoes. Though neither Wahlberg nor Berry are strangers to poor reviews, this strong negative reaction from audiences may show a lack of interest in a follow-up.
The other potential roadbump facing The Union 2's chances is Netflix's recent changes in their overall production strategies. After investing heavily in Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead and Rebel Moon franchises, both have reportedly seen their future projects quietly cancelled following the negative reactions to the latter. While it's unclear how big the price tag was for The Union, considering its A-list cast and large-scale action set pieces indicate it was not a cheap effort, and unless the movie proves a streaming hit, Wahlberg and Berry's sequel hopes may not come to fruition.