The Boondock Saints Reboot Underway With Original Stars But Missing One Key Player
A dose of good old brotherly vengeance is returning as news broke that The Boondock Saints will be receiving another chapter in the franchise’s story. While it isn’t completely clear how the film will be handled, we know that both Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery will toss their dusters back on and seek out all those who do wicked in a new movie from Thunder Road and Dragonfly Films. There is, however, one glaring gap as the original director and creator, Troy Duffy, will not be directing.
Troy Duffy Won’t Direct The New Film
The Boondock Saints was a labor of love for the director who worked his tail off to get it made, even at one time involving himself in a deal with Harvey Weinstein, before going a more indie route with its distribution. Though it didn’t hit huge numbers at the box office – nabbing just a little bit over $30,000 against its $6 million production budget, the film aged well over the next few years and became a cult classic.
Duffy Returning Via Another Medium
Duffy would return to the world of the MacManus brothers and try to make a sequel fly with 2009’s The Boondock Saints: All Saints Day, although the follow-up was largely panned by audiences and critics alike. The initial report states that Duffy will continue his franchise in a series of books about the brothers.
Boondock Saints Became A Cult Classic
The original film introduced audiences to Connor (Flanery) and Murphy MacManus (Reedus), two non-identical twins living in Boston. Two working-class, God-fearing men, who weirdly live in the same room on rundown twin mattresses, the boys take it upon themselves to rid the streets of their city of all the scummy lowlives and mobsters pulling the strings – somewhat of a family business as their father (Billy Connelly) is behind bars for that very reason. The Boondock Saints also sees an incredible – if not completely unhinged – performance from Willem Dafoe, who appears as an FBI agent tasked with the capture of the two rogue vigilantes.
John Wick Familiars Producing
As of right now, the team behind The Boondock Saints reboot hasn’t revealed if anyone is in talks to replace Duffy as a director or if the search has even started. What we do know is that – beyond Flanery and Reedus’ involvement – the project is in terrific hands as Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee of Thunder Road Films will be producing.
The pair’s names might sound familiar as they’re the duo behind the John Wick universe and will soon be celebrating the wide release of Dev Patel’s high-octane feature, Monkey Man. Essentially, this is the best production team to have backing a movie with as much action as we expect from The Boondock Saints revival.
Still In Early Production Phase
Beyond Flanery and Reedus’ appearances in the new The Boondock Saints film, no other cast members have been revealed at this time. While it would be terrific to see Willem Dafoe reprise his role, as he never dropped in for the sequel, we’re certainly not holding our breath. And then there’s David Della Rocco as Rocco, a close friend of the MacManus brothers who was killed in the first feature but made some appearances in the second via flashbacks and dream sequences, making it entirely possible that he may add his name to the call sheet as the wheels continue to turn on pre-production.
Source: Deadline
