It seems that a sequel to the cult hit Donnie Darko will commence filming in just over a week. It has been reported that the next installment will continue seven years down the line with the only original cast member Daviegh Chase returning to her role as Samantha Darko. The director’s chair however will also throne new blood, as Chris Fisher the man behind such unknown thrillers as Nightstalker and Rampage:The Hillside Strangler Murders is said to be at the helm. Richard Kelly, the original incubator of the brain child, Donnie Darko, is not involved in any of the proceedings as of yet.
Given the affirmed stats of the new production, it is hard not to feel a little apprehensive at the outcome, as sequels that deviate in cast and creators do have tendency to flop; but through no fault of their own. If a sequel is to be made, especially to a film of this reputation, it seems that only the mastermind behind it could possibly guide it on to a higher plateau. Fisher certainly has some big shoes to fill here, though after the not so distant coarse reception that Kelly’s Southland Tales received, with its convoluted plot and manic action sequences, it is possible that if Kelly were to return to Darko not all would be safe either. Still, given Fisher’s limited filmography and weak success, is it really wise to put such an anticipated project as this, into the hands of an amateur?
Apparently the continuation is to be focused on Samantha Darko and her best friend Corey who, now in their late teens, have decided to take a road-trip to Las Vegas. In any other film this would imply intense gambling, decadent amounts of booze/drugs and a ‘love hotel’ branching off from the Chapel O’ Love. In this case however, the only mind altering that is going to occur is that of the affliction of dark visions and hopefully an appearance or two from our favourite bunny rabbit Frank, with his softly spoken evil words of doom and destruction.
It has to be said that a large part of Donnie Darko’s success was down to the stellar performances of Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore and Jena Malone. Without these Hollywood heartthrobs, will the sequel really have the same cool sardonic delivery or will the film end up falling into the B-movie, amateur casted, bargain bin, where you might find other attempts at prolonging the success of an idea such as Cruel Intentions 2 (which did have some good moments), Urban Legends 2: Final Cut or any one of the several Nightmare on Elm Street sequels (with the exception of Dream Warriors which funnily enough allowed Heather Langenkamp to return as Nancy).
Another thing that worries me about this desire to add to the ‘Darkoverse’ is the premise behind it. The notion that visions are going to be the main cause for concern for the characters turns me to thinking of all the films that have executed visions, premonitions, nightmares, etc. and that what will come will be a film that overuses flashbacks, has one of our characters popping pills to cope with her trauma, or pushes the character into fulfilling some kind of destiny that awaits her. If the sequel can avoid these clichés then hopefully fans of the original will be in for a nice surprise.
Nathan
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