On Thursday, Seth MacFarlane tweeted out a picture of him and a Ted doll holding a paper-thin bottle of beer. MacFarlane captioned it with “Ted 3 will feature more 2-dimensional beer.”
MacFarlane followed that up with a reply to a twitter user: “Well just be glad we eventually did away with our ‘Scrappy Ted’ premise. Could’ve been a disaster.” Attached is a sketch of Peter Griffin from “Family Guy” with a tiny bear on his knee. Clearly Ted was originally designed to be a “Family Guy” guest character, but instead, he was destined for big things on the big screen.
Series co-star Jessica Barth (who plays Tami-Lynn) commented on MacFarlane’s pic on Instagram, writing to her fans and fellow commenters, “It’s not definite yet but I will certainly keep you all posted”.
“Ted” opened in 2012 and earned $550 million worldwide (along with a Best Original Song Oscar nomination). MacFarlane then made the comedy “A Million Ways to Die in the West” in 2014 for Universal, which was a critical and financial flop. His “Ted 2” in June 2015 was destined to be a smash hit, but mixed reviews and audience reaction prevented that from happening, as the film only grossed $217 million globally.
Since then, MacFarlane has kept busy on “Family Guy” and “American Dad”, along with his hit live-action, sci-fi FOX series “The Orville”, which is currently in production on Season 2.
“Ted 3” has been rumored for years, with MacFarlane telling The Today Show in Oct. 2015 that it might happen but not immediately. Last September, Sam Jones told ComicBook.com that he is signed on for a third chapter but that it’s not guaranteed to happen.
“Ted” was a funny film and shattered all kinds of expectations. I thought “Ted 2” was even funnier (and one of my favorite comedies of this century). I’d love to see another adventure with Ted. It feels like it’s been too long, and the character brings such a positive energy. If the writing is sharp, “Ted 3” could be another non-stop laugh-fest.
If “Ted 3” were to happen, I’d say it’s at least a year and a half to two years away. Universal is already scheduled to have a busy next few years, but according to Box Office Mojo, there are five “Untitled Universal Event Films” that have dates attached. They are:
August 16, 2019
January 17, 2020
July 17, 2020
August 14, 2020
November 13, 2020
I wouldn’t be surprised if “Ted 3” takes that July 17, 2020 slot. Let’s hope it happens!