Cult 80s musical horror-comedy Little Shop of Horrors was set for a long-delayed sequel but plans are now officially dead, with filmmaker Joe Dante confirmed the project’s fate in a new interview with The Direct.
“The word is ‘stasis,’ not status. At the moment, like so many things in town, nothing’s happening, and we always hope that will change, but it’s not the greatest time right now to [get] projects off the ground,” Dante tells the outlet.
Reports claim this production was pretty close to happening. In a story from last year, there was an indication that a budget had been set for Little Shop of Halloween Horrors and that the cast was being assembled. Charles S. Haas (Gremlins 2: The New Batch) penned the film meant to serve as a ‘spiritual successor.’
Originally a low-budget 1960 film by Roger Corman, Little Shop of Horrors found significant success in its 1982 off-Broadway musical adaptation by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. It was later re-adapted for film in a 1986 movie musical, directed by Frank Oz and starring Rick Moranis, Steve Martin, and Ellen Greene.
In the film, a nerdy florist named Seymour discovers a strange, talking plant that feeds on human blood. As the plant (Audrey II) grows, it brings Seymour fame but demands increasingly dark sacrifices. Things spiral out of control as the plant’s true intentions are revealed.
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