For many of us, Shaun of the Dead was our first introduction to the work of Edgar Wright. Since its release, Wright has gone on to experiment with different genres but hasn’t returned to the realm of horror-comedy, much to the disappointment of fans who have been wanting a Shaun of the Dead sequel.
While speaking to SFX Magazine, Edgar Wright explained why he doesn’t want to make a Shaun of the Dead sequel.
I haven’t gone back to horror-comedy, because with Shaun Of The Dead I felt like I had said much of what I wanted to say with that movie. It’s difficult to return to that, even as a producer. Sometimes I get sent films – people want to make the next Shaun and want me to come aboard as a producer. But I find it difficult to cover the same territory again.
Wright continued, “The thing is that films take so long to make. I think that’s the thing that fans don’t quite understand sometimes. They’ll say, ‘Why don’t you knock out a Shaun sequel?’ It’s like, these films take three years to make, you’ve got to really, really love it to do it. So because films take longer to make, trying to challenge yourself with a different subject matter or something you haven’t done before, it’s always the real motivator.”
Although Edgar Wright isn’t keen on putting Shaun on another zombie adventure, Simon Pegg did once jokingly pitch a Shaun of the Dead sequel involving vampires. “I jokingly wrote a treatment for From Dusk Till Shaun, which was a sequel to Shaun of the Dead,” Pegg said. “It was all about Shaun and Ed having to go up to Edinburgh, or something. I don’t know. It was ridiculous. And it was a joke. It wasn’t like a serious pitch. Edgar thought it would be funny to do the film again, but with vampires. But it was all just pub talk.” Last Night in Soho, Edgar Wright’s next film, will hit theaters on October 29th.