T2 Trainspotting isn’t even in theaters yet, but talk is already turning to more sequels, and the forms they could take. Trainspotting itself became a cult classic; the gritty, real-life, dark yet often humorous look at a group of heroin addicts in Edinburgh, catapulted actors Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremmner, Johnny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle into the big time and the movie’s unforgettable soundtrack also became a massive hit.
The sequel was often talked about, but actually took 20 years to come about; something that has actually worked out for the best, since director Danny Boyle and screenplay writer John Hodge can deliver a bleaker, more despairing look at how Renton, Spud, Sick Boy and Begbie have fared in the modern world as adults trying to beat addiction. Fans of the original film are massively excited to return to the gang and their story, but at the T2 Trainspotting premiere, Carlyle hinted that we might not have seen the last of Begbie on the big screen.
Discussing the long wait between Trainspotting films and his character’s involvement to The Mirror (via Digital Spy), Carlyle praised Boyle for bringing the main cast back together for T2 Trainspotting, and added that he’s pleased to show another side to Begbie at last:
“We always felt that we would do it, but as the years went by, you thought, ‘Is this ever really going to happen?’ Danny [Boyle] was always determined we were going to be 20 years older before he was going to shoot it. There is something quite emotional about that. He’s capable of feeling something more than just rage, so I am pleased that that element of Begbie has been shown. Maybe that sets up another film in fact because Irvine Welsh has written ‘The Blade Artist’. We’ve been talking about that, I am up for doing it. So maybe we ain’t seen the end of Begbie just yet.”
The novel to which Carlyle refers is Welsh’s fourth book within the Trainspotting universe, and specifically focuses on Begbie’s life after the events of Trainspotting. The other novels in the series are ‘Trainspotting’, ‘Porno’ (on which T2 is loosely based), and ‘Skagboys’, a prequel to Trainspotting which follows Renton and Spud’s descent into addiction. However, it’s interesting that Carlyle chooses to specifically name ‘The Blade Artist’, which is focused on Begbie’s life in California as a reformed violent criminal. This would seemingly hint at McGregor, Bremner and Miller no longer being involved in the franchise if any third installment were to come to fruition.
Carlyle’s comments also tie in with remarks that Welsh made in an interview a few months back. At that time, the author praised T2 and added that he was looking at various ways to adapt his other works, including as movies or even as cable TV shows. It seems logical that further movies or even a TV show set in the Trainspotting realm will depend upon the success of T2 Trainspotting. The movie is likely to do better in the U.K. than anywhere else, and its funding comes from the British film industry; in particular, Film 4. Therefore, if they decide the project is a viable work, then we might just see Begbie back on our screens once more.
Key Release Dates
Trainspotting 2
Release Date:2017-03-31
