Exclusive First Details: Hatchet II
Adam Green
Anchor Bay
Hatchet
Hatchet II
Sequels
While talking to Adam Green about his upcoming film Frozen, it was only a matter of time before the big question was going to come up -- What's the deal with Hatchet II? Of course I asked it, and what follows are the first real details about the movie, its plot, and whether or not Green will be returning.
"Hatchet II is actually in space. We were gonna send him to Manhattan and then make a bunch of bad movies, but then we said fuck it, we're just gonna go right to space. This will definitely further along our race to continue what's already been done."
With that out of the way, it was time to get the hard facts about the sequel we're all dying for. So without further interruption, let's let Green do the talking.
"The first Hatchet movie is still the biggest success for Anchor Bay that they've ever had. So you can bet whether I am involved or not, they're going to make a sequel. As for my involvement it's still a little too soon to say, but it's really not about money or anything like that, it's just my schedule. They wanna do it, and they wanna do it fast, but I was producing Grace, I was writing the animated Aqua-man movie for Warner, and I was doing Frozen. Contractually my next movie is still God Only Knows, which got pushed once Frozen came to be."
"What I don't want to do is rush a Hatchet movie between two other movies and rip everybody off because I'm trying to just get it done. I wanna wait and I wanna do it right and it's looking like there might be an appropriate window of opportunity to shoot it this coming winter, where everybody who needs to be there can be there. It's not just me either, as much as people look at me like the guy behind Hatchet, it's the whole crew that made that movie, and I need them back. So, it is looking like winter could be a possibility."
"If that doesn't work out because something else pushes, then I think we'll probably end up seeing a new director on Hatchet II, but again, we're not there yet; it's still too early to say for sure one way or the other. No matter what, though, the movie is happening. Let's just keep our fingers crossed and hope that schedules all work out and we get to do it the way that we want to do it."
From here I asked Adam what would happen if he didn't direct. "If I don't direct, the story I have in mind is still the story I've had in mind since the first one, which is why the original ended the way that it did. Some people were like "What the fuck; there was no ending!" Just fuckin' wait. But if I don't come back, that could create a domino effect of other key people who don't come back, and then the story might have to change. But what I don't want to do is see anyone make a movie that's 'A new group of tourists go in the Swamp...' We already did that one, so let's go somewhere with it. As people saw in the first film, there were a lot of things left unanswered which were unanswered on purpose -- What is Victor Crowley? Is he a ghost? Is it like a Jason thing where he's just this guy back from the dead? What's Mr. Crowley's deal? Where was his mother? There's this great shot in the original - Right before Victor Crowley's gonna kill the tour-boat driver, he stops and just makes eye contact with Mary Beth, the main character Tamara, and there's like this face-off. A lot of people would ask me 'What was that?' ... just wait!"
"The sequel isn't going to be a cash-in. We've been meaning to do it. I really hope that's the story that we actually get to make. Again -- It cannot be just another group of tourists in the swamp. We need to step it up a notch. The budget's gonna be bigger, we're gonna get to do more of what we wanted to do, and maybe we'll get to even shoot more than just one take of things! *laughs* That would be awesome! We might actually have some lights this time around too! I do hope it happens. I owe Hatchet II to the fans. It sounds like such a cliche thing to say, but I wouldn't have a career if it wasn't for the horror community. Nobody else stepped in and did anything. It's not like we had TV commercials and billboards when the movie came out. It was all the fans and their word of mouth. Hatchet II will be about giving the loyal people what they deserve. That's why we've been waiting so long. We want to do it right."
Hey, Anchor Bay! Don't screw this one up! Let nature take its course. Do the movie when Green and company are ready to and not a second before. Please ... I beg of you!
Keep it right here for more.
- Uncle Creepy