Attack the Block 2: Joe Cornish wants to take Aliens/Terminator 2 approach with sequel

Attack the Block 2 is official, and if Joe Cornish has his way, the much-anticipated project will follow in the footsteps of sequels like Aliens and Terminator 2.

Joe Cornish is set to write and direct the Attack the Block sequel, which will also see John Boyega reprising his role of Moses, and while speaking on Fangoria’s The Kingcast podcast, Joe Cornish provided an update on Attack the Block 2. “So, we’re doing our due diligence in building the screenplay and taking the same amount of care we took with the first one,” Cornish said, “but we’re very, very quietly confident and excited about what we’ve got. We think about Alien and Aliens and Terminator and Terminator 2, and we wanna take a shot at doing our version of what people did for [those movies].” Both Aliens and Terminator 2 are those rare sequels that are beloved by fans, perhaps even more than their predecessors. They also took what people loved about the first movie and gave it an unexpected spin, so perhaps we should expect something similar with Attack the Block 2.

The director added, “We have a very detailed treatment and a storyline we’re very, very excited about – and when I say ‘we,’ I mean me and John Boyega, who [I’m co-producing the film with] and consulting very closely with – and we’re doing all the research to make sure we get it right.“

The first Attack the Block followed a teenage gang in South London (led by a young John Boyega) as they were forced to defend their block from an alien invasion. It took some time for the sequel to materialize, but it’s finally happening. “It’s been a decade since Attack The Block was released and so much has changed since then,” said John Boyega in a statement when the project was made official. “I’m excited to see this heightened story return to the streets of London. Moses has remained one of my favourite characters to play and bringing him back is a huge honour.” Joe Cornish added, “I’m thrilled we’re officially announcing our return to the world of Attack The Block on the tenth anniversary of the film’s release. I can’t wait to work alongside John again, bringing audiences an even bigger slice of inner-city alien action.“