As first reported by Rodrigo Perez of The Playlist on Indiewire, the third installment to the "28 Days" zombie franchise is a go.
Not many details have been revealed about the film, which is speculatively titled "28 Months Later," other than Alex Garland has written the concept for the upcoming feature script.
Garland sat down with Perez and provided a few details about the timelines leading up to this announcement, as well as his own thoughts on the project, particularly on the prospect of doing sequels in general.
"I don't want to sound overly judgmental about it, because it's very easy to get precious about this stuff," Garland told Indiewire. "I don't feel that way about, but the thing of expecting and needing more of something, has it's own built-in issues, I think. Because most stories don't stand up to being repeated."
Garland's thoughts on sequels matter because, even though he's been loosely attached to one ("28 Weeks Later") as an executive producer, he sees it as something that his audience demands. But he also sees it as something that studios demand, since the hype for the project is so high at the end of a film's run.
"Sequels are generally done in a rush. It's done with a sense of urgency," Garland said. "The first movie, you spend a long time developing to get it over the line. The second thing, you don't. Your expectations are different and your motivations are different."
But in the case of doing another sequel for "28 Days," he said he had come up with a concept that basically gives the story a new arc. He also he does not want to play a more involved role in the film's production.
"About two years ago, [director] Danny [Boyle] started collaborating on the potential to make 'Trainspotting 2,' another sequel," Garland told Indiewire.
"In that conversation, an idea for '28 Months' arrived. I had a sort of weird idea that popped into my head. Partly because of a trip I'd taken. I had this thought, and I suggested it to [producer] Andrew [McDonald] and Danny, but I also said I don't want to work on it. I don't really want to play a role, and Andrew said, 'Leave it to me.' So he's gone off and is working on it."
Cinema Blend reports that "28 Days Later" was Garland's first screenplay, which has already earned back nearly twice its production budget. The film was low-budget to start with, but thrilled audiences and gained a cult-like following within the horror genre.
~latinpost.com
