An iconic Robert De Niro movie from the 1980s almost got a surprise sequel, and would’ve starred Jonah Hill had it ended up being made.
What Robert De Niro movie nearly got a sequel?
1988’s Midnight Run, apparently had a sequel written by Timothy Dowling. Dowling revealed the news on social media, noting that he had once written a sequel that would’ve seen De Niro paired with either Jonah Hill or Melissa McCarthy, who would’ve played the role of Charles Grodin’s child.
Dowling notes that “De Niro wanted to do it,” but that an executive at Universal Pictures “never cared and killed it.” Interestingly enough, in 2021, a sequel to Midnight Run was said to be in development, with Regina Hall attached to star in the project, but no updates on the project has ever been made in the time since.
It is. I wrote a sequel that would have paired De Niro with Grodins child. At various points it was Jonah Hill or Melissa McCarthy. Both would have been amazing. De Niro wanted to do it. One exec at Uni never cared and killed it. https://t.co/2zDSL9RQrT
— Timothy Dowling (@TimothyDowling) April 22, 2026
Originally released in 1988, Midnight Run starred De Niro alongside Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton, Dennis Farina, and Joe Pantoliano. The movie follows the story of a bounty hunter, Jack (De Niro), who attempts to track down an accountant, Jonathan (Grodin), who is wanted by mob bosses.
The movie follows the story of Jack trying to get Jonathan from New York City to Los Angeles. Midnight Run was directed by Martin Brest, and written by George Gallo. The film was a massive success, and praised for its human and chemistry between De Niro and Grodin. The movie did end up getting some sequels, in the form of three television movies that De Niro did not appear in.
