With Halloween looking to make a killing at the box office this weekend, it might not seem far-fetched to imagine more John Carpenter films getting a revival. During a recent interview with Den of Geek, Carpenter teased the possibility of a They Live sequel to his 1988 cult classic… and it might be closer to a reality than you think.
The director was typically mum about details on the project, but did reveal that a remake was in the works at one time with Planet of the Apes franchise filmmaker Matt Reeves.
“There was a feature film,” Carpenter said. “It was a feature film called ‘Resistance,’ written by, oh, the guy who did the ‘Apes’ movies. Matt Reeves. But then he moved on.”
When pressed further about the project, Carpenter merely answered, “Well, I’m not gonna tell you about that, because it might be closer to reality than you think,” before adding, “The sequel is, well, we’ll see. We’ll just have to see.”
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This may all just be Carpenter having a laugh, but even the very idea of a sequel to They Live is just too good to ignore.
The original They Live was a political broadside against the greed of the Reagan era, focusing on a down-and-out drifter named John Nada (the late Roddy Piper) who comes across an alien conspiracy to subjugate the poor in America. The film was famous for its startling black and white sequences in which Nada sees the world as it really is through special glasses, as well as the epic fistfight between Piper and Keith David. Carpenter made the film independently for $3 million, and it grossed $13 million at the box office but has become a fan favorite on home video.
Carpenter has also teased a TV series based on his 1987 cult film Prince of Darkness, but also remains mum on the details.
