The Boondock Saints III Cast, Director, Writer, Plot And More Details
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Guns, religious iconography, and divine retribution are the holy trinity of "The Boondock Saints." Written and directed by Troy Duffy, the original "Boondock Saints" followed two brothers from Boston who lived in squalor but were later called by a higher power to fight a growing infestation of organized crime. Spurred on by the tale of Kitty Genovese at church, the brothers were aided by serendipity and providence as they cut a bloody path through every villain and henchmen they could get their tattooed hands on.
As a result, "The Boondock Saints" became a cult classic by word of mouth, much like the characters themselves. Released in 1999, the movie slowly earned itself a sequel that was released almost 10 years later, titled "The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day." Both films followed the fraternal twin brothers as they brutally hunted the crooks who'd plagued humanity with violence and corruption, but "Boondock Saints II" ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. Fans have been clamoring to see what happens next, but what exactly do we know about "The Boondock Saints III?"
When will The Boondock Saints III be released?
The creation of the next installment of "The Boondock Saints" has gone through several different iterations since creator Troy Duffy announced he was working on it. There was talk of a third installment in 2012, but Norman Reedus shot that down on Twitter. In 2014, Troy Duffy said he was working on a film called "The Boondock Saints III: Legion," but that never materialized — nor did a TV show called "The Boondock Saints: Origins," which would've essentially rebooted the series.
Then in 2017, Sean Patrick Flanery took to Twitter and announced neither he nor Reedus would be involved in a third film. In other words, there's been quite a bit of drama about the threequel, but things finally started moving in a positive direction back in November 2021, when Deadline announced that "The Boondock Saints III' was officially in the works and would begin filming in May 2022. However, there haven't been any updates on the project since then, so we're unsure on the movie's status.
What is the plot of The Boondock Saints III?
Naturally, the plot of "The Boondock Saints III" aims to pick up at the end of "Boondock Saints II." In the sequel, the brothers MacManus found themselves in prison, and the new movie will follow how the vigilantes — now quite a bit older since the last time we saw them — react to being released into a strange, even more dangerous world. In fact, it seems like Connor and Murphy will have different opinions on how to handle things now that they're out from behind bars.
"They are at odds," Troy Duffy told Deadline, "One wants to continue, the other doesn't." They'll also find themselves up against new foes — ones more treacherous and powerful than they've ever encountered before. "There's a new enemy out there," Duffy said, "not like the traditional ones they've faced. ... I asked the fan base once, who would you like to see Connor and Murphy kill? There were like 4,500 answers. ... The number one answer was politicians."
Judging by all that, it looks like we'll see the twins have some kind of crisis of faith, and we'll see how the characters react to their imprisonment and subsequent release. The brothers have lost a lot of friends and loved ones in service of a higher power, so how exactly will this affect them in the 2020s? And will they be able to cure what ails American in their trademark style? On top of all that, it seems like the third film will be able to stand on its own two feet. As producer Yvette Yates Reddick explained, "Regardless of whether or not someone has seen the first two films, 'Saints III' will blow them away."
Who is starring in The Boondock Saints III?
After previously announcing they wouldn't appear in "The Boondock Saints III," original stars Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery actually will reprise their roles of Irish vigilante twins Connor and Murphy MacManus, according to Troy Duffy. Needless to say, Reedus has been pretty busy since the last "Boondock Saints" film was released, starring as the crossbow-wielding Daryl Dixon in AMC's "The Walking Dead" series. Flanery has kept busy too, showing up in projects such as "The Boys," "Dexter," and "The Young and the Restless."
As for the rest of the cast, there haven't been any updates about who might appear. Considering how the last movie ended, it's possible we could see Mairtin O'Carrigan's Father Sibeal, Julie Benz's Special Agent Eunice Bloom, and Willem Dafoe's Special Agent Paul Smecker, but nothing has been confirmed on this front. "The Boondock Saints II" was also rather keen on flashbacks, so could we see characters like Billy Connolly's Noah "Duce" MacManus? We've yet to hear, but anything's possible — they managed to get Judd Nelson for "Boondock Saints II," after all. We'll keep you updated as the cast is revealed.
Who is writing and directing The Boondock Saints III?
Certain franchises are tied to certain directors. You can't think about "Lord of the Rings" without thinking of Peter Jackson. George Miller is the mastermind behind all the "Mad Max" movies. And the "Dark Knight" trilogy is intrinsically connected to Christopher Nolan. Similarly, the "Boondock Saints" movies are the product of one single filmmaker — Troy Duffy.
Duffy was a bartender when he developed the idea for his first vigilante flick. During those days, he was getting pretty sick of the world. Enraged by the random acts of violence he saw on the news and the street-level horrors he witnessed in his own neighborhood, Duffy started writing "The Boondock Saints." Interestingly, aside from the two "Boondock" films, Duffy hasn't directed anything else. (He did co-write the script for the poorly received Pauly Shore movie "Guest House" and was the subject of the rise-and-fall documentary "Overnight.")
Of course, he is about to add a third film to his resume with "The Boondock Saints III." Duffy is back in the director's chair, and he'll be penning the screenplay — although he won't be writing this one alone. As it turns out, Sean Patrick Flanery is the co-writer for "Boondock Saints III," and while Norman Reedus isn't officially working on the script, he has been instrumental to the story process.
What is the future of the Boondock Saints franchise?
"The Boondock Saints III" has been a long-time coming. But will it be the last installment in the series? Or will the MacManus brothers have more crooks and thugs to shoot up? Well, according to Deadline, the folks behind this threequel are hoping to create a "John Wick"-style franchise with "The Boondock Saints," so it's very possible there are more bloody adventures in store for our two Irish heroes. In fact, the trade even mentioned the filmmakers are hoping to give it more of a "global" spin, which means the MacManus brothers might eventually leave the U.S. to dispense their violent brand of justice overseas. Of course whether or not this all actually comes to pass probably depends on how successful "Boondock Saints III" is when it's finally released.
Where to watch the first two Boondock Saints films
If you're in the mood to watch Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery mow down a whole bunch of bad guys, you don't need to wait for "The Boondock Saints III." You can catch up on the previous installments, available for your streaming pleasure.
The film that started the series, 1999's "The Boondock Saints," is widely available. You can stream the crime thriller on Amazon Prime, Peacock, and Kanopy, among other places. You can also rent the film on sites such as Google Play, YouTube, Apple iTunes, Vudu, and Amazon Video.
The second film, 2009's "The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day," isn't quite as easy to find. At the moment, you can only stream it on Pluto TV. However, you can rent it on sites like Vudu, Apple iTunes, Google Play, YouTube, and Amazon Video.