Kevin Smith Is Cooking Up A Sequel To Red State
Kevin Smith knows how to do three things very well — loudmouthed and opinionated characters, comedy, and bizarre horror. Probably best known for movies like "Clerks," "Dogma," and "Mallrats," as well as characters like Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (played by Smith), Smith is a comic book nerd who often likes to take the pulse of America. As mentioned before, besides his comedy endeavors, Smith has also branched into irreverent horror films like "Tusk," "Red State," and "Yoga Hosers."
2011's "Red State" tackled the growing tide of religious fanaticism in the United States. Starring Michael Parks, John Goodman, Stephen Root, Kyle Gallner, Michael Angarano, and Nicholas Braun, "Red State" starts off with three teenagers who think they have been invited to a sex party, but instead find themselves drugged and kidnapped by a bunch of church extremists who plan on executing them for their supposed sins. The movie ends with a rather dramatic shootout after the church members believe that the biblical Rapture has started, though this is eventually revealed to be a prank by a group of locals. Smith had originally intended for the Rapture to actually happen, though this ending was scrapped due to budget concerns, as reported by EW. However, it seems like a sequel to "Red State" might soon be on the horizon, but whether or not its arrival is heralded by an ear-shattering trumpet blast is still unknown.
The rights to Red State languished because of a miscommunication
"Red State" is a brutal look at how unchecked belief can lead to some rather disastrous and murderous results. Though the teenagers in "Red State" were simply overtaken by pubescent hedonism, the sadistic Pastor Abin Cooper believes that they should be publicly executed. Eventually, Pastor Cooper's actions do become known to several law enforcement agencies, mainly due to their string of nonchalant murders of supposed sinners and large stockpile of weapons. "Red State" seems to have most of its loose ends tied up by the end of the movie, though it seems like Kevin Smith has another "Red State" movie in mind.
During a press event attended by our sibling site /Film, Smith addressed the audience and said that the rights to "Red State" had been in limbo for some time on account of who owned what, but since "Clerks III" came out, Lionsgate became much more interesting in retaining the rights to "Red State." He added, "Because we did this movie ['Clerks III'], we were talking to go home video. [Lionsgate's] like, 'Hey man, how come you guys wouldn't re-up 'Red State' with us?' And I was like, 'They still didn't get back to you?' [Lionsgate] goes 'No, we been trying for f****** years.' So we put it all back together and s***."
Smith and Lionsgate are moving forward with a Red State 2
Kevin Smith continued and explained that the whole rights to "Red State" issue has now been resolved, and Lionsgate has actually expressed interest in making another "Red State" movie. He added, "They were like, 'If we do this, would you do it again?' And I was like, 'Yeah, in a heartbeat.' I mean, obviously, Michael Parks is gone. But it's just a story of crazy people with guns and s*** like that. As long as I could use John Goodman again, I could make a hundred f****** 'Red States.' And I'm like, 'Let's do it.' So we're gonna make one."
Although "Red State" was met with somewhat middling reviews — highlighted by a 61% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes – the movie was made on almost next to nothing when compared to other movies. The Numbers notes that "Red State" was created for a paltry $4 million, which is probably very enticing to movie studios when it comes to making their money back and finding returns on investment. That kind of money is a drop in the bucket when compared to other movies, and even other horror movies, which typically don't cost a lot to create and produce. Still, it will be interesting to see where Smith goes with a sequel to "Red State."