ACROSS THE UNIVERSE director Julie Taymor has plans for a potential sequel to The Beatles inspired musical and she wants to take the film into a new decade with further music from the music legends.
Taymor shared her vision for a sequel with the "ReelBlend podcast" and during her appearance, Taymor says she would love to dive into the "edgy, weird times in the 70s, especially due to the similarities between the 70s and events in present-day:
"That’s so great to hear because I’m trying to convince people to make –I don’t want to call it Across The Universe 2 – but the next one. I just got off the phone about that actually. My God, there were 200 Beatles songs. So I only used 33. Plus I’d love to take, Jim Sturgess called me up and he wants to do it and Evan [Rachel Wood]’s game. I’m sure I can get the other people…I’d like to push it into the ‘70s. Really edgy, weird times in the ‘70s that are going to be very similar to what’s going to be happening in our country now, right? I dunno, you gotta find me some very daring people that are ready to do a new musical. That are very, you know, next generation… Everyone I talk to loves Across the Universe. We gotta do the next one."
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE was released to mixed reviews from critics with a rotten score of 53% on Rotten Tomatoes but the film garnered a bit of a cult following and was more warmly received by moviegoers. The film's audience score on Rotten Tomatoes comes in at 82% so it's clear that audiences saw something in the film that critics did not. The 2007 film also went on to earn a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and a nomination for Best Costume Desing at the Academy Awards. I personally think there is an audience that would want to see a sequel and given that The Beatles have such an extensive catalog, there are definitely more songs to form a story around.
In the film, the music of The Beatles and the Vietnam War form the backdrop for the romance between an upper-class American girl and a poor Liverpudlian artist. The film stars Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson, T.V. Carpio and features cameos from Bono, Eddie Izzard, Joe Cocker, and Salma Hayek, among others.
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