TroyDuffy Tagged Articles at Cinematical

The original Boondock Saints was relegated to video store shelves before most would-be fans had an inkling it had passed them by in theaters. But eventually, chances are one night a friend would suggest watching this weird, violent movie about hot twin brothers with a serious gun fetish, Catholic complex, and Latin tattoos, and you'd pass the word along. Basically, Murphy MacManus (Norman Reedus) and Connor MacManus (Sean Patrick Flanery) were blue-collar Irish guys who decided that they'd had enough of the scum on the streets and began wiping them out in various creative ways, although their favorite weapons were and remain the gun. Their buddy Rocco, a mob errand boy, was the de facto third Saint. Meanwhile, they're being tracked by a very odd FBI agent by the name of Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe in a fabulously bizarre performance) and three bumbling local cops. And then there's Il Duce (Billy Connolly), the infamous assassin who's finally paroled from prison.

Ten years later, the Saints are in Ireland with Il Duce, aka their dad, when the word comes that someone in Boston killed a priest they knew and tried to make it look like the Saints did it. Game on. The boys shed their woolly sweaters and their long hair and beards and return to Boston.

The MacManus brothers are back with guns blazing in the long-awaited sequel to The Boondock Saints. The Saints are living in Ireland with dear old dad (Billy Connolly) when they get word a priest in Boston has been killed in a way that sets them up to be the fall guys. Long-haired and bearded from the Irish winters, they shed their hair (and their clothes) to head back to Beantown to set things straight. They're joined by a new Saint, Romeo (Clifton Collins Jr. with a sweet mullet), along with the trio of cops from the first movie. And although the unforgettable FBI Special Agent Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe) is nowhere to be found, Special Agent Eunice Bloom (Julie Benz) is on the case, full of piss and vinegar just behind that sweet Southern smile.

Who's behind the murder? Why do they want to lure the boys back to Boston? You'll have to see The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day to find out. Meanwhile, Duffy spilled the beans on the legions of diehard Boondock fans, including his femme fanbase, his critics, and what he thinks women want from men these days. Read on after the jump ...

Last night at an all-media screening for The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, audience members – both fans who had lined up for blocks to get in to see the stars and director of this long-awaited sequel and journalists – were treated to a colorful Q&A session with the director of Boondock, Troy Duffy, and its stars Billy Connolly, Sean Patrick Flanery, and Norman Reedus.

After Duffy told the audience where the afterparty would be held, a journalist asked why there was so much time between movies. Duffy was somewhat discreet, replying, "There was a rather serious bit of litigation. We sued the people who financed Boondock I and a bunch of people that distributed it, as the movie was extremely financially successful and myself, the producers, and none of the actors saw a cent of that so me and CB [producer Chris Brinker] went after them."

He went on to add, "When you're writing for a sequel and there's a movie that's been deemed sacred ground by the fanbase that's the predecessor, you cannot do anything to tread on that, so it's a bit trickier than just being able to sit down and write something."

Few recent films have as loyal a fanbase as does Troy Duffy's The Boondock Saints. I'm not sure if that's proper English, but you get the point. Boondock fans (or, as I like to call them as of this minute, Boondoggies) have been SURE that Duffy was starting in on a Part 2 several times over the past few years -- but they were wrong. Now they're right.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, which reports on things from Hollywood, "principal photography has started in Toronto on Troy Duffy's sequel to the 2000 indie." Yes, Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery are coming back to reprise their roles. Also back on board are Billy Connolly and David Della Rocco. Other cast members will include Clifton Collins, Julie Benz, and Bob Marley. (Hey, that's what it says.)

Notably missing from the sequel report is the participation of Harvey Weinstein, who famously set Troy Duffy up with a sweet deal and then gave the first-timer just enough rope to hang himself with. (For more on the original Boondock back-story, we turn to the lord Wiki.) Producer Chris Brinker has this to say about the project: ""We expect this film to be a truly intense, humorous and satisfying film for all those who have looked forward to the sequel for so long." Which make sense since those folks are the only ones who'll go see it.

There has been talk of a sequel to Boondock Saints since 2002. But if Troy Duffy is to be believed, it's going to actually start filming this August. This past St. Patrick's Day Duffy claimed, via his YouTube account, that Boondock Saints: All Saints Day had been given a green light by Sony. The video was removed within hours, and the news was never confirmed elsewhere.

But Duffy isn't daunted. He gave a long interview to Washington D.C.'s WJFK insisting that, barring a SAG strike, filming would indeed begin in August. He actually gave away the entire plot, so no one actually needs to go see it should it actually be made. The film will find the brothers in retirement in Ireland, living off the land, until a priest is murdered in Boston. They're framed for the murder, and they quickly fly off to America to seek retribution. Lest you think it's all wishful thinking on the part of Duffy, Geeks of Doom got their hands on the first production diary.

I'm still very skeptical this will actually be made -- and if it is, that it will be anything other than a direct to DVD thing. Between litigation and a bad reputation, I have a hard time believing any studio is really willing to back Duffy at this point. And while it's a fun movie, hasn't the time for a sequel come and gone? Even the Hot Topic t-shirt revival is over. What about the plot? After all the events in the first film, would the MacManus brothers really up and retire to Ireland to live off the land? Feel free to answer all or none of these questions, my readers.

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The promised sequel to the cult-movie The Boondock Saints is almost...nearly...close to being...set to begin. The cast and crew is ready and Fox is eager to distribute the film, but unfortunately the rights to it are held up in court thanks to Saints producer Elie Samaha. Writer-director Troy Duffy should be used to having complications slow down his success, though: After writing the script for the original film, Duffy had a deal with Miramax but was let go after pissing off Harvey Weinstein. Further problems can be seen in the brilliantly revealing documentary Overnight.

As for the sequel, Duffy has had it in mind since finishing the first film, and has had no problem getting most of the cast interested. Last month he told IGN, "everybody's in and calling me every two weeks and going 'when are we going to do this thing?'" Willem Dafoe will not be returning, but otherwise Duffy makes it sound like production will begin the very split second that legal matters are cleared up.

I don't really understand the success of The Boondock Saints, which made millions of dollars in DVD sales after making only thousands at the box office. The first two acts are "cool" in the guys-with-guns way that was so popular in the '90s, and Dafoe is amazing as the creepy detective, but it really, really falls apart in the end. Still, I hope that production can get going soon, because I'm hoping that with the sequel will be also be a sequel to Overnight. I can't wait to see how much of an ass Troy Duffy has become in the last six years.