Code 8 was a crowd-funded flick that debuted on the big screen in 2019 before COVID-19 shut down movie theaters. Netflix picked up the rights to the movie featuring Arrow star Stephen Amell and The Flash actor Robbie Amell, who also served as producers on the movie and the short film that inspired it. A solid genre offering, Code 8 almost immediately was on pace for a Quibi sequel series before that platform went belly up. Director Jeff Chan and the Amell cousins joined forces for a feature sequel titled Code 8 Part II (check out our review here).
Picking up five years after the first, Code 8 Part II follows Connor (Robbie Amell) after his release from prison after taking the fall for criminal friend Garrett. Garrett (Stephen Amell), is the leader of a drug ring that sells with the support of the Lincoln City Police, namely King (Alex Mallari Jr). In this world, a minority population is gifted with superpowers ranging from harnessing fire and electricity to shapeshifting and telekinesis. When young Pav (Sirena Gulamgaus) loses her brother to the cops, she seeks the help of Connor to protect her. What follows is an action-packed thrill ride that explores this fictional world in new ways. Code 8 Part II, already a big hit on Netflix, is far superior to the first film.
I got the chance to chat with the stars of the film. Robbie Amell talked about the new direction for his character, Connor, and working with Sirena. Sirena talked about joining the cast and what it was like being a part of this world as well as her favorite scene as Pav. Stephen Amell talked about whether his character is an anti-hero and where this franchise could go in Part III and beyond. Alex Mallari Jr talked about the influence for his character, King, and how it felt coming back in an expanded role for this second chapter. Check out all the interviews in the embed above.