Last week at a screening of “Dazed & Confused” in Austin, Texas, filmmaker Richard Linklater revealed that his oft-discussed sequel to his ’70s stoner paradigm was complete and ready to start shooting in the summer.
Labeled a “spiritual sequel,” by the director, the film evidently follows a group of lost boys and girls during their first weekend of college in 1980.
EW says that the script has been completed, however, Linklater reportedly has had trouble scrapping up funds and has spent the last few months looking for financiers to back a commercial-sounding comedy about college students.
Does that mean the summer timeframe is too optimistic and or wishful thinking? EW doesn’t say nor do they note whether Linklater has found his funding yet (presumably not by the sound of the article). The magazine notes how the economy has devastated the indie field and reminds that Linklater’s last film, “Me & Orson Welles,” does still not have distribution (we saw it at TIFF and disliked).
Even in September, the film climate was on a downturn. “It’s tough, man,” told EW then.”Unless it’s a tentpole, sequel, remake, or over-the-top comedy, that’s all the studios are even doing. They’ve kind of admitted they’re not in the business of doing anything else. The slightest level of irony or intelligence and, boom, you’re out of the league, you’re done.”
He might be sadly correct. [EW]
