Talk of a sequel to “Love Jones” has been in the air for years now, though nothing concrete has developed thus far; and whether director Theodore Witcher, who, as his words suggest, became somewhat disillusioned with the industry and seemed to walk away from it, will even want to make a sequel is another uncertainty.

As I recall, he did say a couple of years ago (2015) that it was not going to happen after several years of attempts to make it happen, and he seemed to believe that it was for the best, instead of risking the original being ruined by a potentially less-appreciated sequel.

But this is Hollywood we’re talking about here; never say never, especially at a time when remakes, reboots and sequels are seemingly all the rage, as studio execs dig through their libraries in search of beloved old titles to revisit, whether on the big or small screen.

And few black movies are more beloved than “Love Jones” – a romantic drama that’s nearly universally embraced by black audiences, and repeatedly turns up, year after year, on various “top black films of all time” lists; some even think of it as a classic, even though it’s not that old.

But do you really want to see a sequel to it? I feel like nostalgia for the original, as well as the era in which it was created, might be influencing many minds on this. The thought of a sequel might actually be more appealing than the actual realization of it.

I say, leave it alone. I’d rather see Witcher do something fresh, new, original (“Love Jones” is still his only directed film, which is unfortunate). But if a sequel does happen, it’ll have to be more than just a cash-grab for the studio; the film will need to be superior and separate itself from the original, as well as all the other black romantic comedies and dramas that we’ve seen since then (and there have been quite a few).

And if it has to be done, and Witcher doesn’t want to do it, but there’s studio interest in backing it, hire a writer/director with a completely different style and approach; a talent who’s shown an interest and ability in handling romance on film but in some novel way.

Maybe a black woman filmmaker the second time around… we might get an entirely different POV on the relationship 20 years later… again, if a sequel has to be done.

But, as I mentioned previously, I’d leave “Love Jones” alone; no sequel. There are far too many other stories to tell that haven’t been told at all.

In the video clip below from 2012, Hip Hollywood asked Nia Long about a “Love Jones” sequel. Keep in mind that this was 5 years ago, so what she says is dated; but she echoed what Witcher said – that there was interest (at least at the time) and they were working on it. Although as recently as last year (spring 2016), co-star Larenz Tate said (during an interview with the “Don’t Be Scared” podcast) that he would love to revisit the film in a sequel, but the script would have to promise an even better movie than the first: “The script would have to be dope, we don’t want to compromise on the integrity of the movie and what has become a classic to people.”