To help celebrate this year’s “eventful” 4th of July, Wonder Project shared a surprise announcement for fans of the studio’s latest film, Young Washington, which debuted in theaters on July 3. According to Erwin, the director-producer and founder behind Wonder Project, a Young Washington sequel, titled 1776, is officially in the works.

Jon Erwin teases a Young Washington sequel

Erwin announced 1776 via social media, filming the message from Mount Vernon, a museum dedicated to the life and times of America’s first president. “When people see it all over the nation, they love it, they cheer. We’ve shown it all over, and this one question keeps coming up: Are you going to make another movie? Is there a follow-up on the life of George Washington? The answer is yes. We are working on another one right now. We have just begun writing another Revolutionary War epic on the year 1776. If you think Washington‘s big, wait for 1776. It’s epic in every way. It’s another incredible chapter in this man’s life and legacy. I hope you love Young Washington. I hope you’re ready for 1776. We’re writing it right now.”

Young Washington is off to a great start at the box office

Over the 4th of July weekend, Young Washington marched to an impressive $20.8 million, scoring another win for Angel Studios. Young Washington’s beginning total is higher than Sound of Freedom’s debut over the same holiday frame back in 2023. Sound of Freedom eventually earned $184 million domestically. With Young Washington earning an A CinemaScore, it will be interesting to see whether the presidential film fares as well as, or better than, Sound of Freedom.

Young Washington might be an acquired taste

While scores of audience members love Young Washington, JoBlo’s Michael Conway wasn’t as taken with the early life and time of the cherry tree chopper as other patriots, saying in his review, “There’s a better movie buried inside this one, a sharper version about a young man chasing status, making mistakes, falling short, and slowly becoming something more complicated than a national symbol. But this version plays it too safe to be compelling and too dull to be memorable.” Conway continues, “As a piece of historical storytelling, it gets the job done with some exaggerations. As a movie, it mostly just sits there looking nice. It’s the kind of thing you put on during a quiet Sunday afternoon when you want to feel mildly productive before accidentally taking a nap.”

For those who enjoyed Young Washington, today’s news should be an exciting way to keep celebrating America’s 250th birthday! We’ll bring you more details as 1776 develops.