Director Richard Kelly wants a prequel to Southland Tales

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Once upon a time there was a filmmaker named Richard Kelly that offered up a near perfect mind-bending experience named DONNIE DARKO. The film is still a topic of debate since its release in 2001 as a it's dissected as a great from of modern day filmmaking. Everyone eagerly looked forward to what Kelly would give us next and that brought us to SOUTHLAND TALES in 2007. With its stacked cast featuring Dwayne Johnson, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Mandy Moore, Justin Timberlake & Seann William Scott, we were prepared to watch a filmmaker make good on the promise he showed with his ambitious debut.

Alas, this was not to be. SOUTHLAND TALES premiered on May 21, 2006 at the Cannes Film Festival and it was savaged by critics for for its extensive running time, sprawling nature, & convoluted plot. Once the film opened wide, the reception was no better with the film scoring a rotten score of 38% on Rotten Tomatoes. Time has since forgotten SOUTHLAND TALES, although some could argue it has a bit of a cult following 15 years after its release, but Richard Kelly hasn't forgotten the film and during a series of Tweets Kelly made it clear he wants to make a prequel to the film and he has a lot of ideas. I'll let the tweets speak for themselves:

I have to give Kelly credit for going all on this because I'm sure he's very much aware of the negative reception this film received at the time of release with most of his fans still obsessed with anything DONNIE DARKO. SOUTHLAND TALES is clearly his baby and he has had a lot of time to think of where to take this concept next. I've personally only seen the film once and I own it. The film was a blind buy for me because I love DONNIE DARKO and I was looking forward to what Kelly was going to do next. I was disappointed at the time time but this kind of makes me want to revisit the film to see if I feel differently. Fun fact though: part of the film was shot in my hometown of Hermosa Beach, CA so while that may not be as cool as LA LA LAND & The O.C. shooting here, it's still something.

In case you forgot the plot, the film took place in the near distant future of 2008 during a three-day heatwave just before a huge 4th of July celebration. An action star stricken with amnesia meets up with a porn star who is developing her own reality TV project, and a policeman who holds the key to a vast conspiracy. The film is all satire and offers social commentary on an alternate view of Los Angeles.

Do YOU think SOUTHLAND TALES is misunderstood? Would YOU like to see a prequel get made?