November 14, 2016

Last Friday evening here in Los Angeles, the Cinefamily hosted a late night screening of DOOMSDAY, Neil Marshall’s 3rd feature length film and the follow-up to his acclaimed horror masterpiece THE DESCENT. The movie, a combination of everything from 28 DAYS LATER to ALIENS to ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK to EXCALIBUR to ROAD WARRIOR, played perfectly for the enthusiast crowd of film-loving Cinefamily regulars that like their cinema loud, over-the-top and crazy.

Marshall was at the screening, along with actress Nora-Jean Noone to participate in a post-screening Q & A with Fright Night Frights curator Josh Miller moderating. The candid chat brought about many fun stories regarding the production, the origins of the project and Marshall’s long-time friendship with Noone, who also appeared in THE DESCENT. But the most intriguing response came when an audience member asked Marshall if he had a sequel idea plotted out, just in case the film had done well and the studio asked him for a follow-up.

To refresh your memories, at the end of DOOMSDAY, Eden (Rhona Mitra) hands over Cally (MyAnna Buring), sister to the Marauders madman leader Sol (Craig Conway) and the daughter of Malcolm McDowell’s Kane to Canaris (David O’Hara). Because she was born immune to the virus, it’s assumed a cure can be created using her blood. Eden stays behind in Scotland to take over leadership of the Marauders, but before that, she gives over video evidence to Bill Nelson (Bob Hoskins) to ruin Canaris. From there, here’s where Marshall would’ve taken the story had he made a sequel.

“My idea was that Eden basically takes over leadership of the Marauders. At the same time Canaris, not quite as defeated as we thought, stages a military coupe in London, seizing on the instability to takes control of the country. London is left sealed off, with the virus ravaging it’s way through the population trapped inside. Canaris has the cure, but also knows that so long as there are survivors above the wall, it’s kind of worthless. So he sends helicopter gunships in to wipe them out – starting with Kane and his acolytes at the castle in a kind of medieval APOCALYPSE NOW kind of scene.”

“In London, Cally is separated from Dr. Stirling and he’s thrown inside the doomed city to fend for himself. Eden meanwhile is heading, with her small army, to Newcastle, knowing there are more survivors there. Her plan is form an army and break out of Scotland. Eden is incredibly surprised and pleased to find her mother is still alive, and leading this other group of survivors. Like daughter, like mother, she’s equally as badass. So they team up, blow the shit out of the wall and head for London. My idea was then to have a epic running battle between the Marauders and military forces as Eden charges toward London to try and rescue the survivors and implement the cure, and somewhere along the way, take out Canaris for good.”

So, there you have it. Sadly, we’ll never get to see this crazy, ambitious sequel, but alas, we can always enjoy the madness that is DOOMSDAY as we have it now!