Edgar Wright Isn’t Big on Sequels, But Won’t Say ‘Never’ to a ‘Hot Fuzz 2’
In a few short weeks, the general public will get to lay eyes on Edgar Wright’s latest film Baby Driver, which, as has been made clear multiple times elsewhere on this very web site, is absurdly good. Like, unaccountably good. How is the movie so good? Explain yourself, Wright! While he has not yet owned up to whatever dark sorcery made his new film such a blast, Wright has been discussing plenty of other matters as he’s made the rounds on the interview circuit in support of Baby Driver. And the folks at Movie Web wanted the answer to one question in specific: Where’s the man stand on sequels?
Even when adapting someone else’s work or drawing from past filmic traditions, originality has always been a key quality of Wright’s filmography. So it comes as no surprise that the man expressed some leeriness when it comes to franchising. When questioned about the possibility of a Hot Fuzz sequel, Wright told Movie Web:
I’ve definitely had some ideas and me and Simon have even talked about it at points, but it’s that thing of, do I want to spend three years of my life doing that? Or do I wanna, if I have the opportunity to tell a new story, would I do that? If somebody said to me, if Baby Driver 2, if that kind of came up, it would be like, “I have ideas.” I would never say never, and you’re not wrong to say that that’s the one that you could do further installments. I think the thing with sequels is that I’ve always been looking for what’s next? And the thing with any movie is, it’s going to take up at least two years of your life. Maybe three. So, when you’ve got youth on your side, and I’m already in my forties now, it’s like, I guess I would rather be telling new stories than revisiting old ones. Hot Fuzz I think is the only one of the Cornetto trilogy that you could do a follow-up.
The guy’s clearly a seasoned pro when it comes to non-committal answers, expressing his sincere distrust for the process of returning to the creative well, but not completely closing the door on a sequel. Baby Driver skids into theaters on June 28, at which point the clamoring demand for Wright’s next film can safely begin.