Director Richard Kelly exploded onto the scene in 2001 with his acclaimed feature debut Donnie Darko, following it up with the divisive Southland Tales in 2006 and the 2009 Richard Matheson adaptation The Box before pretty much disappearing off the radar as he tried unsuccessfully to get several projects off the ground.
Now, chatting to HMV to promote the 4K restoration of Donnie Darko, Kelly has revealed that he has plans for another film set in the same universe, which he plans to focus on once he’s completed his next movie.
“I think there’s something much bigger and more ambitious to do in that universe,” said the director. “It’s big and expensive and I think there’s time to get to that. I want to make sure we’ve got the budget to do it justice and not to compromise anything. Another story in this world needs resources and we need to have that in place. I need to get my next film out of the gate and then we can go back and look at it.”
SEE ALSO: Read our exclusive interview with Richard Kelly on the 15th anniversary of Donnie Darko
Donnie Darko has already received one sequel, albeit without Kelly’s involvement, with the 2009 release S. Darko, which saw Daveigh Chase reprising the role of Donnie’s younger sister Samantha. It was panned by critics, and went largely unnoticed.
Originally published January 26, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
