This year’s found footage flick Chronicle surprised many for being one of the better stories recently seen in the genre, due in no small part to the strength of the script. The success quickly spawned rumors of an imminent Chronicle 2, with screenwriter Max Landis signed on to continue the story.
In a candid moment, Max’s father Jon has explained things aren’t going as smoothly as one might think. Those hoping to see the premise and mysteries of the original explored further seem to be out of luck – apparently, Fox wants more of the same.
The news comes from an interview conducted by ThePlaylist, covering several of the projects being developed by the veteran writer/producer. During the discussion, Landis commented on the various difficulties and artistic disagreements that can bring even the most promising films to a screeching halt.
Take, for instance, his son Max’s Chronicle 2 script being met with resistance from Fox:
“He wrote a sequel, and it’s amazing, and the studio read it and said, ‘We want ‘Chronicle’ again!’ And he said, ‘No, this is the sequel, it’s the evolution, and they said ‘No, we want that movie again!’ So it’s difficult, we’re dealing with a difficult business.”
That admission is going to disappoint plenty of fans, and we don’t just mean of Chronicle or the found footage genre. It’s not a bad thing that Fox wants to repeat the surprise of the original film, as the super-power-infused coming of age story was artfully handled by both Landis and director Josh Trank. But hearing that the proposed script is actually attempting to evolve the story beyond a simple origin, and perhaps delve into the ‘alien’ technology, was exactly what many had hoped for in a sequel.
Besides being disappointing from a story standpoint, this news seems to make the odds of Trank returning even less likely. With a job helming the Fantastic Four reboot and the task of developing Shadow of the Colossus for Sony taking his time, Trank himself had expressed concerns that a Chronicle sequel might have to struggle to avoid being a rehash. His desire to focus on more original properties might have made an evolved sequel a possibility, but not a trip down the same path.
Of course, that’s assuming Landis cooperates. The screenwriter has plenty of buzz backed up by an uncanny ability to have story pitches optioned, so this situation could play out any number of ways. We’ll keep you updated if Fox provides a response.
What do you think of Fox’s decision, assuming Jon Landis’ comments were accurate? Could there be a chance to see the superhero-evolution film we’ve been hoping for, or is Chronicle 2 bound to follow the Paranormal Activity route?
For more in-depth discussion of Chronicle, be sure to check out our ScreenRant Underground Episode 24.
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