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'Donnie Darko' Sequel Not Just a Bad Dream

If you're going to Cannes this month, be on the lookout for a script called S. Darko, which according to Screen Daily is billed as the sequel to the 2001 cult hit Donnie Darko. Yep, you too could grab the international distribution rights for the sequel. How exciting is that?

Well, it's decidedly less exciting when you learn that Richard Kelly, who wrote and directed the original, won't be involved. Or, perhaps, after Southland Tales, that's not such a bad thing.

So if Richard Kelly is out of the loop, obviously, there'll be no Jake Gyllenhaal. However, for this decreasingly intriguing sequel, Daviegh Chase will be back as Donnie's younger sister, Samantha, hence the S. Darko. Chase's best moment in film was without question as Samara, the creepy kid from The Ring.

Don't take this the wrong way: S. Darko is not just some pie-in-the-sky idea that the producers, an outfit called Velvet Octopus, hopes to cash in on based solely on the name. Fox has already taken North American distribution rights and the cast is set; in addition to Daviegh Chase, the ensemble will also include Ed Westwick from Gossip Girl, Dragon Ball's Justin Chatwin, and Briana Evigan, who recently stepped up 2 the Streets. Filming for S. Darko begins May 18th.

The story resumes seven years after Donnie's death, and wouldn't you know it, the sister is besieged by bizarre visions.

Boy, I dunno...kind of tough to sequelize such a dark cult movie like this when none of the major principals involved in the first one is returning. You hate to judge things like this (OK, that's not true; we love to judge things like this), but as big a fan as I am of Donnie Darko, I'm not sure I wanted a sequel if everything had played out beautifully. But now, I really fail to see the logic.

That's great news for you, of course, if you're looking to buy a script at Cannes for international distribution. So don't let us stop you.

Posted on Friday, May 9, 2008 at 10:57AM by Registered CommenterColin Boyd in , , | CommentsPost a Comment

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