Sequel Bits: ‘Evil Dead,’ ‘Coming 2 America,’ ‘Attack The Block,’ ‘Resident Evil,’ ‘Avatar 2,’ ‘Dream House,’ And More
In this edition of Sequel Bits:
There’s a newEvil Deadmovie on the way, and it’s meant to be connected to the original franchise, not the more-recent remake that was released in 2013. This entry is directed byLee Croninand titledEvil Dead Rise, and we still don’t know much about it. It’s been rumored that the film will be set in a skyscraper, which would be a big change of pace from the woodland setting that’s present in the majority of the films. But that rumor remains a rumor, yet to be confirmed by those involved with the production. One thing thathasbeen confirmed, though, is that the film will start shooting this year. Franchise mainstayBruce Campbell, who is producing the new film but apparently not starring in it, confirmed toKnox Newsthat production is set to begin sometime in 2021 in New Zealand. Campbell also confirmed that the film is “out of the woods,” which certainly lends some credence to the skyscraper/city theory. We shall see.
Coming 2 Americabrought back a lot of the first film’s original cast, and a lot of the first film’s jokes with it. One joke thatdidn’tmake a return, though, involves the fictional hair product Soul Glo. In the firstComing To America,Eriq La Salleplayed Darryl Jenks, the boyfriend of Lisa McDowell, the American woman Eddie Murphy’s Prince Akeem is trying to woo. Jenks is the son of the man who invented Soul Glo, and has been living off his father’s wealth. Speaking withRolling Stone,Coming 2 Americaco-writerDavid Sheffieldsaid that they originally intended to bring La Salle back for a cameo in which Darryl is seen on TV selling a new product, but when La Salle was unable to return, they scrapped the joke entirely. “We wanted to do a new commercial that would be seen in the background somewhere in a scene, and it was gonna be called ‘Soul Gro.’ The joke was going to be that Eriq is now selling a baldness cure and he was also a customer,” Sheffield said. And directorCraig Breweradded: “It was just going to be a very quick joke where Darryl would come out and he would have his curly wig, but then he would take it off and he would be bald. It’d be like a ‘Do you remember me?’ kind of thing and then he would use Soul Gro to make his hair grow. But it didn’t work out.”
Everybody lovesAttack the Block, and for years now, fans have hoped for a follow-up. And directorJoe Cornishhas said a sequelcouldhappen in the past. As recently as last year, Cornish wassaying, “We’ve got ideas. I met with John a couple of months ago to talk about it. We’ve always had ideas since after the first one, but obviously we’ve both been busy doing different things. In a weird way, kinda, the longer you leave it the more interesting it is. So that’s what I’ll say.” Now, in 2021, Cornish is once again givingAttack the Blockfans some hope, confirming that he and starJohn Boyegaare still working on ideas. “We’re working on it at the moment,” Cornish toldEW. “John Boyega was round at my place a few weeks ago and we sat in the garden — socially distanced — talking about story ideas until it was so dark we couldn’t see each other. So, yeah, we’re working on that.” In the original film, aliens invaded a council estate in South London, and Boyega played a local teenager who helped stop them.
Omar SyandLouis Leterrier, the actor and director behind Netflix’sLupin, are re-teaming for a sequel to the 2021 French comedyOn The Other Side Of The Tracks, per Deadline. The film will have Sy and Laurent Lafitte “reprise their roles from the original movie, which was the story of two very different police officers who team up after a business mogul’s wife is murdered.” From there, the unlikely pair are reunited for a new investigation that takes them all the way up to the French Alps.“THRreports thatUma Thurmanis joining the cast of theStargirlsequel for Disney+. The first film was a musical about “An unassuming high school student [who] finds himself inexplicably drawn to the free-spirited new girl whose unconventional ways change how they see themselves and each other.” That free-spirited new girl is, of course, Stargirl. The sequel will see Stargirl leaving town " into a bigger world of music, dreams and possibility.” Thurman will play “Roxanne Martel, a musician Stargirl admires and encounters on her journey.” And look, no offense toStargirl, but I honestly think Uma Thurman deserves better than this. But then again, maybe this is exactly the sort of role Thurman feels like playing right now.
Enjoy your stay.@ResidentEvil:#WelcomeToRaccoonCityis only in theaters September 3.pic.twitter.com/DZn28klsJB
— Sony Pictures (@SonyPictures)August 02, 2025
As you can see in the tweet above, the newResident Evilmovie has a new title:Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. I honestly do not love that title, but I’m still interested in checking this out when it arrives onSeptember 3. The film is an adaptation of the first twoResident Evilgames, and by all accounts, it’s going to be much more faithful to the source material than the previousResident Evilfilms. The cast includesKaya Scodelarioas Claire Redfield,Hannah John-Kamenas Jill Valentine,Robbie Amellas Chris Redfield,Tom Hopperas Albert Wesker,Avan Jogiaas Leon S. Kennedy,Neal McDonoughas William Birkin,Lily Gaoas Ada Wong,Chad Rookas Richard Aiken,Donal Logueas Chief Brian Irons, andMarina Mazepaas Lisa Trevor.
Hey, rememberDream House? You probably don’t, but it’s a 2011 horror film starringDaniel Craig,Rachel Weisz, andNaomi Watts, and for some reason, it’s getting a remake. The folks at Morgan Creek, who own the film, recently spoke withPark Circusand said, “We are rebooting and firmly in the packaging stage onDream House, a psychological thriller that originally starred Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz and Naomi Watts, and directed by James Sheridan as a theatrical motion-picture.” In the original movie, “Publisher Will Atenton (Daniel Craig) quits a lucrative job in New York to relocate his wife, Libby (Rachel Weisz), and their daughters to a quaint town in New England. As they settle into their home, however, the Atentons discover that a woman and her children were murdered there, and the surviving husband is the town’s prime suspect. With help from a neighbor (Naomi Watts) who was close to the murdered family, Will pieces together a horrifying chain of events.” And honestly, I don’t know how to feel about this one. On one hand, I like the idea of remaking unsuccessful films rather than remaking movies that were already good to begin with. On the other hand…Dream House? Really?
Will Axel Foley return once again? Maybe! Speaking withDesus & Mero(viaThe Playlist),Beverly Hills Copfranchise starEddie Murphyconfirmed that there are still plans to makeBeverly Hills Cop 4, but he’s not committing until the script is where it needs to be. “They’ve been trying to make anotherBeverly Hills Copfor 15 years now,” Murphy said. “Right now,Netflix has it, and they’re trying to develop a script. That’s what we’re supposed to be doing next. But, I’m not doing nothing until the script is right.” I’m not exactly sure we need yet anotherBeverly Hills Copmovie, but hey, if it gets made, and Murphy returns, and it’s rated R, I’ll watch it.
Even though his character died in the firstAvatar,Stephen Langis returning forAvatar 2, and the actor provided some insight into his comeback. For one thing, Lang says that this time he didn’t need to get as much in shape as he did in the first film. “Well, I did not need to get quite as big,” he toldComing Soon. “I was really big in that first one. In the new films I’m leaner — I am leaner, there’s no question, but just as defined. That’s the deal.” From there Lang also talked about how his character, Quaritch, behaves in the sequel:
“I think he’s an incredibly fascinating character and he wouldn’t be back if Jim Cameron wasn’t fascinated in him as well and kind of bent on seeing where he goes. Where does that character lead him as a writer, as a director? And where does it lead me as an actor? And so, I think you’re able to absolutely look for some areas of extreme growth in the character; and then probably areas of regression in the character as well, hopefully, over a period of four more films. Of course, we need him to be very, very interesting, where, by the end you’ve taken a journey, or you’ve witnessed a character go on a life journey that was pretty interesting. You know, that you were glad that you could observe. So that’s what we’re trying to do.”
If all goes according to plan,Avatar 2will arrive onDecember 16, 2022.
