The Lowdown on 'The Descent 2'
Filed under: Horror, Lionsgate Films, Movie Marketing, Remakes and Sequels
Usually when an original creator walks away from a sequel, it is a good sign that maybe a sequel isn't the best idea to begin with. Well, that's exactly what happened with the follow-up to Neil Marshall's 2005 horror-hit, The Descent. But it is not all bad news because Shock Till You Drop got the chance for a set-visit, and by the sounds of things it's looking pretty good for our group of traumatized spelunkers. (You can read the about the full visit over at Shock.)The sequel picks up where the first film left off (that is if you are following the events of the North American release of the original film). The story follows the return of a mute and unbalanced Sarah as she heads back down to the caves with a rescue party to locate the rest of her group. Of course, this being the ricketiest cave on earth, the group is soon trapped and left to deal with the nasties down below.
During the visit, Shock spoke with writer James Watkins (My Little Eye) as well as the production designer Simon Bowles. Watkins told Shock that they went to Marshall to "get his feedback and discuss which direction he wanted the story to go, what he thought was good, how we should develop the characters" -- not to mention there was the promise of plenty of more gore this time around, and in the end isn't that what we're paying for? Scott told us back in 2007 that Marshall hadn't completely washed his hands of the whole thing, and would still produce the flick. Well, I guess he's a little more hands-on than expected -- which is probably a very good thing, don't you think?
The Descent 2 will arrive in theaters in 2009.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-28-2008 @ 11:45AM
NP said...
Loved The Descent. Always skeptical about sequels, but who knows, it could be alright.
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8-28-2008 @ 11:52AM
Astin said...
I cringed a few times reading this. First, that they're going with the NA release to create a sequel (which was really a terrible ending that made about zero sense). Second, that Sarah would be going back to find the rest of her party? Is she not only mute but completely unable to communicate that they're all dead and there's no way in hell anyone would want to go in there? How unablanced can you make a character?
Yah, count me out for seeing the sequel I think. It would have to be a pretty great movie despite it's flimsy macguffin to draw me back.
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8-29-2008 @ 2:50AM
Marty J said...
It's the Aliens model: Sole survivor takes a group back to the scene of the original. Pity there's no ginger cat.
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8-28-2008 @ 12:26PM
Rufus said...
Eh, the Descent was okay, but considering the trash-fest and down right awful Doomsday it might be better without Marshall directing.
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8-28-2008 @ 12:53PM
Peter said...
The sequel may work, if done right.
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8-28-2008 @ 2:24PM
Michael Byng said...
This makes no sense....didn't her friends die at the end?
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8-28-2008 @ 2:56PM
Rob said...
I've only seen the unrated ending and going off that it seems next to impossible to have a sequel including Sarah.
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8-28-2008 @ 4:05PM
Gary said...
Yes, all her friends died at the end. Unless the American's changed their endings too? Not having seen the American version I am not sure but maybe it showed them being rescued by a gun totin' Wesley Snipes and taken somewhere safe.
It was bad enough changing the ending for the US market but then to go and start the sequel from that alternative ending is just pathetic. "Screw you Europe, this is an American franchise now and we are doing it our way"
This is yet another piece of Hollywood garbage that they will not even be able to drag me to see.
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8-28-2008 @ 7:48PM
The Mutt said...
I read a novel called The Descent by Jeff Long. It involved a race of cave dwelling creatures very much like those in the movie.
While the book was more like World War Z in scope, there were many, many similarities to the movie.
How come I never heard anything about a lawsuit?
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9-07-2008 @ 1:41AM
akjsdfhkasdf said...
okay you all need to learn more about what you are talking about
if you followed up on previous articles you would know it doesn tbase off the american ending
she finds her way out by accident in the beginning of this one
she has amnesia and can't remember what happened to her friends
sort of the mind defending itself
and only three people were confirmed dead
you assumed
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10-02-2008 @ 10:52AM
Jim said...
For those of you who saw the U.K. release of this and didnt see the North American Version (SPOILERS):
The U.S. version ends with her stumbling out of the cave into the sunlight and driving off.
The U.K. version has that, but then goes back for a final scene where she is completely in the dark having a delusion that she got out as the creatures begin to swarm around her.
The U.K. version (which is on the dvd as an alternate ending) was far, far, far better.
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11-02-2008 @ 10:54AM
Lena said...
Actually that's what happened in the U.S. film too only the part you say where the creatures swarm her might be your imagination. The flare/candle/whatever the hell it was, starts to go out (probably from lack of oxygen) as she hallucinates that her daughter is in front of her blowing out her birthday candles. So as the creatures did not swarm her, there is a chance that she is still alive and a sequel would make sense. The first was an intense cliffhanger. It's one of the few horror movies where they didn't tie up the loose ends and show you the main character living "happily ever after." Whether they intended to do that so they could do a sequel or not, they have a good starting point for one. I am looking forward to it.
11-13-2008 @ 2:07PM
James Hood said...
The original is already a horror classic. It succeeded on a number of levels. I think Marshall and the whole crew knew that the scary movie genre could be a lot more than most people imagine. So lets hope that the same intelligent, psychological screenplay with taught direction and competent acting will be present again in the sequel. Looking forward to it!
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11-20-2008 @ 6:00PM
Ron Blake said...
I will watch the sequel if for no other reason than to see Juno (Natalie Mendoza) again. I feel she did a great job in this role, and she is so HOT.
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