So this is interesting! On a recent episode of the horror podcast Slasher Radio, Stephen Chiodo – part of the "Chiodo Brothers" filmmaking team, and one of the ko-kreators of Killer Klowns from Outer Space – talked about the struggles of getting a Killer Klowns sequel made, which has been something they've been attempting since the '80s!
Here's some pertinent quotes from the interview:
There was a deal… MGM controls the rights… and they went to SYFY. They did Critters, and you saw what that turned out to be like. But they wanted to do Klowns for like two million [dollars]. And we don’t want to do that… we did it for two million back in the ’80s. So we didn’t want to do it. And even MGM didn’t want to do it… they said it was a more valuable property than just signing off for that little money…
Right out of the gate we tried to do a sequel…in fact we had a TV deal… USA TV we had a series. But the deal fell through like a lot of things do. And we have been trying to get the sequel going since 1988. And Hollywood is just a horrible machine. The film didn’t really get much box office… and when you want to get a sequel done, they look at the box office. They don’t regard cult films as something to invest in.
We have this whole long trilogy – something we call a trilogy in four parts because we include the original – a TV series for cable [or] streaming. And it follows the adventures of all the characters as they go through their lives, crushed after the first invasion. It would make a great mini-series. So we’re constantly selling that for people who are interested.
Fascinating stuff! But what do you guys think? Fans of the kult film? If so, would you be interested in a sequel? Either way, sound off below!
And if you're interested in more of what Chiodo has to say about the industry, give the rest of the Slasher Radio interview a listen!