BeforeAdam Wingardjoined Legendary’s Monsterverse to helmGodzilla vs. KongandGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire, he directed what is arguably one of the greatest slasher films of the 2010s:You’re Next. Written bySimon Barrett, the film focuses on an estranged family who find themselves under attack by a group of masked assailantsduring a family reunion. It’s a familiar premise, but one Wingard and Barrett handled with a deft hand that’s filled with black humor and gory kills. Now, the pair are discussing the sequel they had planned,which they’re glad they never made.
The chat between the two comes during a new commentary track onYou’re Next, which was released yesterday on SteelBook 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray exclusively from Lionsgate Limited (via Bloody Disgusting). The film saw its killers decked out in a lamb, a fox, and a tiger mask, and while Lamb Mask (L.C. Craig) was killed in the final edit, that wasn’t always going to be the case.“Originally, the Lamb Mask killer got decapitated in the script with his hand pinned to his head,“Barrett said, adding:
“But then we were like, ‘Ah, perfect opportunity, because this film’s gonna be a huge theatrical success, everyone’s telling us, so for You’re Next 2 we’ll just bring [L.C. Holt] back as the Lamb Mask killer.’ But because his frontal cortex is damaged by getting stabbed in the forehead, he won’t be able to feel pain anymore. He’ll be kind of crazier now, and he wants revenge for his brother.”
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Fans will recall that Lamb Mask and Tiger Mask were siblings inYou’re Next, with Lamb becoming completely unhinged when he finds his brother’s corpse. The film ends with Erin (Sharni Vinson) being shot by a police officer after killing A. J. Bowen’s character of Crispian, which is whereYou’re Next 2would have picked up from. In hindsight,Barrett said he’s glad the sequel never came to fruition.
“Our sequel idea, which I’m glad we didn’t do, was the notion that Erin would be arrested. She’d be basically blamed for the murders. Due to her jarring Australian accent, a jury would railroad her. She’d be instantly sent to prison by the corrupt American judicial system. While she’s chained to all these other prisoners, their prison van gets attacked […] and they all take refuge in a meth lab near the accident. We were gonna use all the meth lab booby traps. Basically, my point is, it’s really good we didn’t make this movie. It would just make you like this film less.”
‘You’re Next’ Is a Horror Classic
Premiering on Sept. 10, 2011 during the Toronto International Film Festival,You’re Nextalso starred the likes of Ti West, Barbara Crampton, and Larry Fessenden. Produced on a budget of just $1 million dollars, it didn’t see a wide theatrical release until 2013, but when it did, the film managed to take in more than $26 million in receipts. Today,it’s widely regarded as a slasher classic, and is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with an 80% rating.
Wingard and Barrett have both gone on to have successful careers in Hollywood, with the former directing the aforementioned Monsterverse movies, and the latter penning last year’s horror hitAzrael. Barrett also had a hand in scriptingGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and while he’s happyYou’re Next 2never got made, Wingard didn’t rule out the possibility of revisiting the idea down the line should he ever find himself in a jam.“You never know,“he jokingly added,“our careers could take a nosedive and one of these days we might go, ‘Hey, we’re ready to doYou’re Next 2.’ It’ll probably be a different movie than the one you just described.”
Though a sequel is highly unlikely at this point, that’s okay. The original is fine on its own, and if you want to check it out,You’re Nextis currently available to stream on Peacock, or you can either rent or purchase it on all VOD platforms from Lionsgate.
Source:Bloody Disgusting
You’re Next
