Since its release in 2004, Edgar Wright’s “Shaun of the Dead” has grown to become one of the most beloved comedies of the century. But as popular a touchstone as the film remains, co-writer and star Simon Pegg has made it clear that a sequel to the zombie rom-com isn’t on his to-do list in the future.
“If I ever do an Instagram Live or anything else, people will always be like, ‘I need ‘Shaun of the Dead 2’ in my life,’” Pegg said in a recent interview with The Guardian. “And I’m like, ‘No, you don’t need ‘Shaun of the Dead 2!’ The last thing you need is ‘Shaun of the Dead 2!’ It’s done. Go ahead!'”
The original “Shaun of the Dead” starred Pegg as the titular Shaun, a slacker salesman who gets dumped by his girlfriend right before the onslaught of a zombie apocalypse. The film was a sleeper hit upon release, grossing $30 million worldwide on a $6 million budget. While a sequel was never officially made, it was the first in what became an unofficial trilogy of films directed by Wright and starring Pegg and Nick Frost. The other two in the “Three Flavors Cornetto” trilogy, “Hot Fuzz” and “The World’s End”, were released in 2007 and 2013 respectively.
Pegg, who was interviewed by The Guardian to promote his upcoming role in ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ further revealed that he and Wright spent a week last summer brainstorming working together on a fourth feature film. . Pegg admitted progress on creating a fourth film was “slow,” though he claimed it was because Wright’s dog was a distraction, but said they had a few ideas. Pegg didn’t reveal any further details about their plans, but said the film won’t be a follow-up to the Three Falvors films and will be very different from those three genre spoof films.
“Whatever Edgar and I do next, we won’t rely on what we’ve done before,” Pegg told The Guardian. “I like the idea of pissing people off. There’s something fun about setting everything on fire. Everything people think we are, is what we won’t be. We should just do something that nobody expects. Pegg laughs: “But nobody wants!”
Since “The World’s End,” the pair — who also co-created the TV series “Spaced” — have yet to make another film together. Wright has since directed “Baby Driver” and “Last Night at SoHo.” Pegg has acted in several films, most notably in the ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise, which he joined with the fourth installment ‘Ghost Protocol’. “Dead Reckoning Part One” — starring the Tom Cruise series alongside Hayley Atwell, Esai Morales, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Henry Czerny and Pom Klementieff — hits theaters July 12. as the last film in the series, it will be released on June 28, 2024.
