Vertigo Films Planning Sequel to Gareth Edwards’ Monsters

Fledgling filmmaker Gareth Edwards’Monsters was a sharp little film. With a budget of only $500K, Edwards squeezed every cent of that budget onto the screen—admirably focusing on the most important aspects of good horror: atmosphere, suspense building and characters. What one doesn’t see in a horror film is often far more terrifying than what one does see. Edwards understood this and crafted an effective little film.
Monsters grossed over $4M and was critically praised. Thus, Vertigo Films has now announced it will make a sequel to Monsters, this time with commercial directors Brent Bonacorso and Jesse Atlas at the helm.
According to Variety, Edwards will serve as executive producer along with Monsters actor Scoot McNairy.
The sequel is budgeted around $5M and will begin shooting in September, possibly in Argentina.
“We’re going to keep the same quality and intelligence of the first film and make it much more of a straight genre picture,” said producer Allan Niblo. “Monsters 2 will expand the world created in the original movie whilst upping the action ante.”
Niblo describes the tale, set in a walled city, as a story about two brothers finding each other in a world of monsters. He added that the variety of aliens will differ in the new installment.
We know what you’re thinking: Sequel; commercial directors; bigger budget—will it all equate to an overblown disappointment, like so many sequels? Given the story description above, and with Edwards still aboard as a producer — and ostensibly some creative input — we actually remain hopeful.