DONNIE DARKO Sequel? WHAT??

Screen Daily are reporting today that Silver Nitrate and Newmarket Capital are producing a sequel to 2001 cult hit Donnie Darko, called S. Darko.

Apparently the movie will take place 7 years after the original movie and will follow Donnie’s sister, played once again by Daviegh Chase, who is now 18 and on a road trip to L.A with her best friend when they start getting plagued with bizarre visions.

Seriously, WTF?

According to Screen Daily the producers have talked to original director Richard Kelly but he isn’t involved in the sequel in any capacity and the directorial reigns will be taken by Chris Fisher, who has previously directed Nightstalker (which apparently is a not very well received horror movie about the life of Richard Ramirez who terrorized L.A in the 1980s) Rampage: The Hillside Stranger Murders and an episode of Chuck and Moonlight.

Fisher, when asked about the new movie, said:

“I am a great admirer of Richard Kelly’s film and hope to create a similar world of blurred fantasy and reality.”

While Simon Crowe of Velvet Octopus (the UK based sales company who are going to be handling sales in Cannes) said:

“I think there is a new generation of cinema-goers who will be very excited to see this film.”

“Donnie’s not in [the new film] but there are meteorites and rabbits.”

I think I have finally gone mad. That can be the only reason that can have caused this news. No other explanation can be found for a sequel to a movie that blatantly doesn’t require or need a sequel like Donnie Darko.

Oh, actually there is one explanation. Money. Pure and simple, money. Trying to cash in on the popularity of the original (which might be a little late, really) by making a sequel in name only surely comes down to money. I mean, if you just want to make a movie that exists in the same kind of world then fine, but why do you need to make it a sequel? If you have gotten a good script and story then why can’t it stand on it’s own rather than trying to ride the coat tails of Donnie Darko? It’s not like the movie is that recent after all! Or that Richard Kelly is suddenly a really hot director again. OK, so if Southland Tales had actually been received as well as Donnie Darko was I could almost understand it but Kelly’s second movie wasn’t exactly a hit now was it?

Also joining Daviegh Chase in the movie will be Ed Westwick (Son Of Rambow, Gossip Girl), Briana Evigan (Step Up 2) and Justin Chatwin (Dragon Ball), and apparently the camera’s will start rolling on May 18th. So a quality cast and director then?

Dear God.

Is it wrong of me to hope that a jet engine lands on the production?

[Source - Screen Daily via Empire]

Posted on Friday, May 9th, 2008 at 1:17 pm under Movie News by Gareth.
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