Last year director Gareth Edwards gave us one of the better science fiction films of the year and probably one of the best “monster” movies ever made. It was made on a very limited budget and it relied on its unique story and two great leads. The film was titled Monsters and I admit that the title might have been a bit misleading, but the film turned out much better than expected and I really enjoyed it.
Sadly, Screen Daily is reporting that Vertigo Films is going ahead with a sequel of the film and it will be directed by Brent Bonacorso and Jesse Atlas with Gareth Edwards producing. They haven’t begun casting yet, but they have announced the budget which will be under 5 million dollars, which is more than the original films budget but still very small compared to big studio productions.
I am a little upset about this piece of news. Monsters was such a good movie mainly because it was so different compared to other alien films. It focused more on the character relationships and the actual story than the aliens and special effects. It benefited from its small budget and indie vibe. I doubt the sequel will be able to recreate that feeling. That being said, I am curious to see how the sequel turns out and I will more than likely try and catch it in theaters if it gets a limited release. It’s rare to see such a small film like Monsters get a sequel and with it happening so fast one can only assume that they might truly have a good addition to the original story.
Monsters 2 is slated to come out sometime in late 2012. No official synopsis has been released, but Vertigo Films producer Allan Niblo briefly described the plans for the story of the film, which can be viewed below:
This story will continue by introducing a teacher living in a protected walled city, who has to go into the infected zone to find his long-lost brother, a former military man who is now a Col. Kurtz-esque figure. Niblo promises “lots more creatures” than the original.