Donnie Darko Sequel 'Slated' For 2009 Release
Richard Kelly's Cult Classic Gets The Follow Up Treatment
Oct 7, 2008
When Total Film magazine announced, in its July 2008 issue, that Richard Kelly's film, Donnie Darko, was going to be the subject of that most loathed of movie traditions, a sequel, reactions were understandably ice cold. Certainly, Total Film pulled no punches when the magazine went to press and broke the news to readers by saying, of the writer, director and stars "They could all be genii. Or, perhaps, they're just a crapheap of chancers abusing the good name Darko..."
Sequel Not Welcome
Much of the disdain surrounding the aforementioned planned sequel, S. Darko, surely stems from the fact that many sequels are made purely to 'cash in', and whilst Donnie Darko was never a particularly (commercially) lucrative film in the first place, a sequel seems somewhat superfluous. As Kelly informs us in his 2003 book The Donnie Darko Book, "Domestically it only made half a million dollars."
Furthermore, it is likely many fear that as the movie was such a respected, original film, any attempt at revisiting the idea would surely negate the impact it has had on modern cinema.
Fan backlash doesn't seem to be waning, and reactions to the sequel appear largely negative. Kurt Halfyard, in his May 9th 2008 article Unnecessary Donnie Darko Sequel: S. Darko seems to sum up fan consensus when he says "...Take what is a tight, cult film and turn it into a money grab by producing unnecessary sequels."
Moreover, on the film website Geek Tyrant, a poster known only as Dr Venkman, had this to say, "Why do people think this is a good idea? There does not need to be a part 2!"
So the fans seem to be on the same page, as many would argue this is a pointless and unwelcome addition to the Donnie Darko universe.
The Other Side of The Story
However, there are certain persons who have taken the time to defend S.Darko. Actress Briana Evigan tells MTV, "It's a really cool, fun script. But it's darker, and I hope everyone understands it."
So it seems Evigan, at least, is on board. However, she is starring in the film so perhaps her opinion is slightly biased.
Lack of Kelly Involvement
One saving grace for fans of the original, will likely be that Kelly has no affiliation whatsoever with the sequel, and has publicly denounced it. On his Myspace page, he had the following to say, "I haven't read this script. I have absolutely no involvement in this production, nor will I ever be involved."
A positive for fans could be that Kelly's lack of involvement means his original vision is preserved and it will always be viewed as its own film.
However, the negative outcome will surely be that his lack involvement could spell disaster and retroactively ruin the original film. Furthermore, as Donnie Darko was always Kelly's baby to begin with, this means that makers of the sequel cannot possibly give it the passion and dedication that Kelly did, which could lead to an underwhelming and ultimately poor film.
To conclude, it seems that S. Darko is abhorred by fans and Richard Kelly alike, and the only people showing any excitement towards it seem to be those involved. It appears to be a shameless attempt by Twentieth Century Fox, to cash in on a cult-hit. To cash-in on another mans vision, one shared by millions worldwide. Indeed, as the man from who's mind it sprung so aptly put it "I didn't write Donnie Darko to make money."
