BEFORE THE MASK: THE RETURN OF LESLIE VERNON, the long-awaited "spreemake" follow-up to the cult favorite BEHIND THE MASK: THE RISE OF LESLIE VERNON, is not yet a cinematic reality (although it's very close to happening in comic book form), but another chapter in the Leslie Vernon saga will soon be heading into production. This one is a short film called WAIT FOR IT, which is set in the same world as BEHIND THE MASK.
Saying something is set in the same world as BEHIND THE MASK may not seem to be all that special, since pretty much every slasher out there is part of the BEHIND THE MASK universe – Leslie Vernon is even mentioned in HATCHET II, but that was just a passing reference. What makes WAIT FOR IT special is the fact that it's written and directed by David J. Stieve, writer of BEHIND THE MASK and BEFORE THE MASK.
Set in or near Leslie Vernon's stomping grounds in the town of Glen Echo, WAIT FOR IT is "a loving deconstruction of the slasher genre" that follows
Survivor Girl heroine, Darcy, as she travels home after a night out with friends, remaining ever-vigilant to the possibility that the masked maniac she previously tangled with could reappear at any moment. Especially if she lets her guard down. You see, being a Survivor Girl comes with a personal cost, one that endures long after the mayhem we've all seen has ended; Halloween night was bad, sure, but the middle of November ain't no picnic, either.
Speaking with Bloody-Disgusting, Stieve confirmed that the short is tied directly to the BEHIND THE MASK universe, although he wouldn't openly say how.
All I can say in detail on that is this: we’ve established that killers like Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers and Victor Crowley exist in Leslie’s world. Glen Echo is as real as Haddonfield. And in WAIT FOR IT, it’s established that Darcy is herself a Survivor Girl of an unrevealed killer in a similar town perhaps just down the road from Glen Echo. So if she exists in their world, and they exist in Leslie’s world… I’ll let the math wizards and philosophy majors connect the dots from there! Until then, you’re gonna have to… wait for it!"
According to Stieve, WAIT FOR IT is just the first of multiple BEHIND THE MASK spin-off stories that he and BEHIND THE MASK director Scott Glosserman are planning to put together, in addition to the comic book adaptation of BEFORE THE MASK, hopefully the film version of that story, and eventually a third feature – BEHOLD THE MASK: THE REIGN OF LESLIE VERNON.
"Team Vernon" has spent a decade trying to get a follow-up to BEHIND THE MASK off the ground and are dedicated to making sure the world of Leslie Vernon gets expanded in any way they can.
An Indiegogo campaign for WAIT FOR IT is currently underway.