Edge of Tomorrow 2 gets a new update from original movie director Doug Liman, who outlines the key hurdle the sequel is facing. Released in 2014, Edge of Tomorrow stars Tom Cruise as Cage, a cowardly soldier who lives the same day over and over again while fighting invading aliens, eventually becoming a hero for humanity. The film, which also stars Emily Blunt, was well-received, but development on Edge of Tomorrow 2 has been slow-going, and few concrete updates have emerged about the project over the last decade.

In a recent interview with Collider to promote his new film, The Instigators, Liman is asked about the status of Edge of Tomorrow 2, and the director reveals that the project is still top of mind for him. While he’s keen on getting the sequel going, he explains that the franchise’s time travel elements are proving especially difficult to crack for the follow-up. Check out Liman’s full comment below:

“I mean, Emily Blunt and Tom Cruise have never been more on top of their game than they are right now. I’d be crazy not to be trying to, you know, figure out how to make a sequel. So I am spending time trying to crack it.

“On the flip side, time travel’s really tough. Like really, really tough. All you have to do is develop a movie with time travel to come to the conclusion that humans will never travel through time because it’s hard to figure out a third act in a movie with time travel. So I know for a fact humans are never going to travel through time but I am trying to crack it.”

Will Edge Of Tomorrow 2 Ever Actually Get Made?

Why There’s Reason To Be Optimistic About The Tom Cruise Sequel

Edge of Tomorrow wasn’t actually a major box office hit, and was really more of a modest success, but it’s since become an audience favorite, and it’s lived on through streaming. Cruise, as Cage, plays a role that, at least at first, is very different from the types of roles he typically plays these days, and the film also features an inventive premise and lots of fun action. If Edge of Tomorrow had grossed more than $370.5 million (on a budget of $178 million), it’s possible that a sequel would have been approached with more urgency.

In addition to trouble cracking the story, both Cruise and Blunt have also been very busy over the last few years. Cruise has been devoting a lot of time to filming the Mission: Impossible franchise and is currently hard at work on the upcoming Mission: Impossible 8, while Blunt has also worked steadily on numerous films. Both actors have, however, expressed interest in returning for Edge of Tomorrow 2, suggesting that schedules could be worked out if a good enough script comes together.

Edge of Tomorrow was co-written by Christopher McQuarrie, who has become a key Cruise collaborator on the Mission: Impossible franchise and beyond. McQuarrie also has a screenplay credit on 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick .

Cruise recently signed a deal with Warner Bros. to develop both original and franchise films, and Edge of Tomorrow was a WB production, which bodes well for the sequel. With three key parties (plus the studio) involved in the original interested in making a follow-up, chances seemingly look good, but it’s now been 10 years since the first film. There could eventually be a point where interest in Edge of Tomorrow 2 wanes because it’s simply been too long. By the sound of things, however, Liman is hard at work to make something happen sooner rather than later.