A new take on “The Boondock Saints” is in the works with the 1999 cult film‘s original stars Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery reprising their roles as the MacManus Brothers.
Thunder Road Pictures, which produces the “John Wick” franchise and the upcoming “Monkey Man” from Dev Patel, announced it is teaming with the rights holder Dragonfly Films to the original 1999 cult film “The Boondock Saints” to jointly produce what’s being described as a “reimagining” rather than a direct sequel. Dragonfly Films also confirmed the news on its Instagram.
Reedus and Flanery both portrayed the Irish Catholic killers rooting out Boston crime all in the name of the Lord in the original film, and they also returned for the 2009 follow-up film, “The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day.” However, Troy Duffy, the story’s original director and writer, will not direct the new film but will produce it. He also plans to write a series of books about the Saints. A search for a new director is underway.
Thunder Road Films’ Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee, Dragonfly’s Todd Myers, and Impossible Dream Entertainment’s Shaun Redick and Yvette Yates, along with Duffy and Don Carmody, are the film’s producers. Reedus, Flanery, Charlie Morrison, Peter D. Graves, and JoAnne Colona are all executive producers of the project.
“When we were given the opportunity to help bring the brothers Connor and Murphy MacManus back to the screen, we jumped at the chance. The idea of building on the iconic mythology and characters for all the long-time fans of the series, as well as opening it up to a whole new generation, is one that we couldn’t be more excited by,” Iwanyk said.
“From the moment I saw the first film, it has been my dream to be able to add to the amazing story of the Boondock Saints. I’ve been in discussions with Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus for over ten years to bring this dream to a reality,” Myers said.
“I’m thrilled to be working alongside Basil Iwanyk’s Thunder Road Films and Todd Myers’ Dragonfly Films to bring more of the story of the Boondock Saints to audiences,” Reedus said. “I can’t wait for everyone to see what we have long been working toward. We are pressing on without our longtime friend and Captain, Troy Duffy on this one. He has decided to write a Boondock Saints book series and I can’t wait to read it.”
The original film was at one point considered one of the hottest scripts in Hollywood, coming from Duffy, who had never written a screenplay before and was inspired after working with his brother at a bar in Boston. Harvey Weinstein’s Miramax Films, at one point, had the rights, but it never got off the ground. When it was finally produced and intended for release, it was derailed and bombed with a minimal, limited theatrical release because of fears after the Columbine school shooting that the hyper-violent film could inspire copycat killers.
But audiences later discovered it on home video, ultimately grossing $50 million, earning the film a re-release in theaters in 2006. The film is hardly a critical darling, but about 1 in 5 millennial males probably had a “Boondock Saints” poster on their dorm room wall as a result. The sequel in 2009 made a modest $10.6 million on an $8 million budget. A third film with Duffy directing was originally planned and was shopped at the American Film Market several years back, but the project never advanced.
Deadline first reported the news.
