But Edwards Won’t Be Returning Behind The Camera
Gareth Edwards‘ “Monsters” was little-seen last year, even though reaction to the film from critics was wholly positive. The director made the film for a micro-budget and produced many of the special effects on his own computer. And while Edwards is already moving on to bigger, possibly better things with a “Godzilla” re-imagining, U.K. production company Vertigo Films has decided make a sequel to the original “Monsters” in the hopes of attracting a wider audience.
Screen Daily has announced that Brent Bonacorso and Jesse Atlas will direct “Monsters 2,” with Edwards providing guidance as an executive producer. There’s a handful of other producers getting in on the action including “Monsters” lead actor Scoot McNairy (who’s gone on to be breakout star in his own right, co-starring with Brad Pitt in “Cogan’s Trade“), Rupert Preston of Vertigo and Ben Pugh and Rory Aitken of “Between the Eyes.” This story will introduce a teacher who enters the infected zone of the city to find his brother.
Allan Niblo of Vertigo Films promises “lots more creatures” in this follow-up, and that many actors have expressed “quite a lot of interest” in joining the cast of the film. “We wouldn’t have done it if we didn’t find the right talent [in the two new directors]. Gareth loves their vision. People want to see more of this world,” Niblo explains. The company wants a six-month shoot in Argentina or the Dominican Republic, but insists that the film will still have a low budget of under $5 million.
Vertigo has quite a few interesting projects in development, including Nicolas Winding Refn‘s next movie “Pusher” and “The Sweeney” with Ray Winstone. While we’re not sure if “Monsters” is worthy of a sequel, it did make back almost 10 times its budget being shown to a relatively small audience for sci-fi. Maybe with a star attached, the “Monsters” universe could expand even farther.
Thoughts? Did you see “Monsters?” Do you want to see a sequel made?
