Ever since it was unveiled back in 2010, there’s been talk of a possible sequel to “Monsters.” And that’s hardly a surprise: while Gareth Edwards‘ film wasn’t a giant success, it made a very decent $5 million worldwide (plus much more on home video formats), which is an unqualified success for a film made on a miniscule budget.
Edwards was snapped up for a much more expensive giant monster movie, helming “Godzilla” for Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures (filming just got underway last week, with Aaron Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Bryan Cranston, David Strathairn and Ken Watanabe in the cast), and it feels almost appropriate that as he makes his second film, Screen Daily has revealed that the sequel to “Monsters” has begun filming.
“Monsters: Dark Continent” is, as previously announced, the feature directorial debut of TV helmer Tom Green (“Misfits,” “Blackout“), with a script from Jay Basu (“The Dinosaur Project,” “Fast Girls“), and is set a few years after the original, where the ‘infected zones’ have spread throughout the world. And it sounds like the film could be to “Aliens” as the original was to “Alien,” with the plot seeing the U.S. military attempting to wipe out the creatures, only to find resistance on multiple levels.
There’s a promising cast on board, with Johnny Harris (“Snow White & The Huntsman,” “Welcome To The Punch“) toplining alongside rising stars Sam Keeley (“What Richard Did“) and Joe Dempsie (“Skins,” “Game Of Thrones“). And producer Allan Niblo (who’s working on the film with James Richardson, Ben Pugh and Rory Aitken, with Edwards taking an executive producer credit) tells Screen “‘Monsters: Dark Continent” is a sci-fi action film that remains true to the artistry and intelligence of its prequel ‘Monsters’ as well as providing the excitement, thrills and set pieces of a genre film. We’re very excited to see Tom Green’s vision unfold.”
So, worthy follow-up, or cheap genre cash-in? With shooting now underway, we’ll find out when it hits sometime in 2014.
