SANDERS MAY BE TAKING ON ANOTHER FRANCHISE LEAVING SWATH 2 BEHIND
Universal
Universal has yet to issue an official announcement regarding an updated status of a SWATH sequel; however it appears that SWATH director Rupert Sanders may get his hands on another one.
IndieWire is reporting that Sanders could be in talks with Universal to reboot the "Van Helsing" franchise which Tom Cruise is set to be both producer and star.
Cruise is not unknown to the vampire world as he starred in the cult classic Interview with a Vampire alongside Brad Pitt as the villainous vampire Lestat.
Although talks are early on, this could lead Sanders away from a SWATH sequel. When Universal decides the "direction" it wants to take, SWATH 2 may have a new director.
It is clear that Universal definitely wants to keep Sanders in its fold. Deadline reported back in August that Universal purchased the rights to '90 Church which is also being produced by SWATH producers Joe Roth and Palak Patel. Sanders is reported to be attached to direct the project.
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When initial SWATH sequel writer David Koepp departed, he told Movieline in an interview in August that he could not imagine writing the sequel without Kristen Stewart being a part of it.
Here is an excerpt of Movieline's report of the Koepp departure:
"...I really liked" involving Stewart's character [Koepp said]. "And their situation, I hear, changed a little, so they weren't interested in pursuing that idea anymore."
Koepp said that was a sign for him to move on. "I felt like there was a good path with her, but then they wanted to explore a different thing that I had no ideas for," he explained. "If you don't have any ideas, you should probably put your pen in your backpack and go home." As a result, he added, "we agreed to part ways and stay friends."
"When I asked Koepp if he could see a sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman being made sans Stewart, he replied: "Well, I couldn't. That was why I felt like I couldn't follow through."
Although reports have had the sequel being steered towards a "Hunstman" movie only, SWATH fans definitely had a say when The Hollywood Reporter announced that Stewart was "dropped." Universal received an earful via Twitter which led to the release of "the direction" statement.
Sanders did not have any contractual options for a SWATH sequel unlike Stewart and Chris Hemsworth who is now seeking a better pay day for his work in films.
Whoever Universal signs on as the new director, let us hope that the sequel will include both Snow White and the Huntsman and have the film stepped up another notch in story quality while maintaining the cinematic quality that Sanders has developed. Hopefully we will hear some positive news soon.
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