In the past week I’ve looked back 25 years to the first Tremors film, finding out why the fans still love it, hearing what director Ron Underwood thinks about the film and also getting some insight from other members of the crew on key sequences.
For this post I wanted to take a closer look at the upcoming fifth instalment in the Tremors franchise and hear what fans want from the movie.
We already know a few things about Tremors 5. Firstly, the original creative team behind each of the previous films and the TV series – writers/creators SS Wilson and Brent Maddock and producer Nancy Roberts at Stampede Entertainment – have admitted in a statement that the new script is based on their 2004 script for the film.
Although Stampede offered Universal Home Entertainment the opportunity to revive and refresh the franchise, they were forced to withdraw from Tremors 5 when it became clear they’d have no creative control. This also suggests that none of the extended “family” of behind the scenes crew will be returning to do their magic with a tiny budget, as they did on Tremors 2 to 4.
Instead, the script has been written by Tremors 3’s John Whelpley (who wrote 3’s script from Wilson, Maddock and Roberts’ story outline), while the director is Don Michael Paul, known for his work on low budget action films including Sniper: Legacy.
We also know that Michael Gross will be back as Burt Gummer, this time heading to South Africa to take on (according to the press release) “bigger and badder” Graboids and Ass Blasters. Jamie Kennedy will join the team as tech wizard, Travis, while a cast of South African actors will complete the cast.
So what would fans like to see in October’s sequel? I asked that question over on Facebook, and it seems that the absence of Wilson and Maddock is a cause for concern for many:
Glenn Maddock: “A script as funny as Brent & Steve’s and a budget to deliver a great movie.”
Tom Palleschi: “I just hope to see Universal and Don Michael Paul capture the same spirit and sense of fun that was so evident in all of the other films. Wilson, Maddock, Underwood, and all the other great folks at Stampede Entertainment put together something really special with the previous instalments, and I hope to see that tradition upheld.
As far as specifics go, I am incredibly excited to see Burt back in action and cannot wait to revisit that character for the first time in 12 years. I hope to see a new supporting cast as charming and fun to watch as those in the previous instalments, and I hope to see creatures (both new and old) designed and bright to life with the same level of creativity and detail that they have become so iconic for.
Mostly, I just want to experience the thrills I got every time I watched (and rewatched for the millionth time!) one of these films or the series as a kid.”
Tyler Ham: “I also hope it returns to a more “serious” tone like the first film. The first film, though silly at times, was very self aware – as the series continued, they began to sort of feed like parodies of themselves… Burt went from “Survivalist” to paranoid Doomsday prep-er type, for example.”
More