Netflix Sci-Fi Thriller Fan Favorite Gets Sequel A Decade Later
The horror genre can be very difficult to really break into due to how hard it is to create a scary concept that audiences have not seen dozens of times already. But in 2015, the movie Circle debuted wherein 50 people wake up in a room that only one person can leave after every other person gets voted off to be killed. The concept was so unique and intriguing that now nearly a decade later, Circle 2 is in production, currently being dubbed Circles.
Circle
The original proved to be a cult classic once it was acquired by Netflix and word of mouth got around about the movie. The creators of the film shared that their inspiration for the concept was to do a horror version of the classic legal film 12 Angry Men.
Instead of one passionate juror arguing the innocence of a stranger, a roomful of strangers argues their right to survive each other. Circle 2 will be set 17 years after the first movie.
Survival Horror
The premise of the movie is reminiscent of some of the other big horror hits in the genre, like Saw wherein people are abducted and wake up in a chamber where they are forced to play a life or death game.
It is also a bit similar to the classic Japanese film Battle Royale, wherein a group of school students must kill off all of their classmates to be the last one standing. With the popularity of both of those films, Circle 2 sounds like it will be tapping into a subgenre that really intrigues horror fans.
Michael Nardelli Returns For Circle 2
Michael Nardelli, who starred in and helped produce the original movie, will be returning to produce Circle 2. Brent Stiefel is also returning in a producer role.
It is usually an auspicious sign when individuals who worked on the original film are part of the process of creating the sequel, so it is a positive early indicator that the new movie could match the quality that fans liked about the first one.
Like The Twilight Zone
Reviews of the original movie praised its creativity, comparing it to the kind of bizarre yet fascinating scenarios one might see in an episode of The Twilight Zone. Critics also enjoyed the movie touching on various social commentaries with each of the characters arguing as to why they deserved to be spared and why others were expendable.
It presented some tough, raw conversations in an already tense movie. If Circle 2 can replicate those aspects, it seems like a winning formula.
Uncomfortable Questions
The writers of the first film shared that they never intended for any one character to be read as being a villainous person. Instead they wanted audiences to ponder on some of the subconscious hierarchies people might carry about the importance of other people’s lives.
Should a parent be prioritized over a doctor? A child over a pregnant woman? A healthy person over someone with a terminal illness? Being forced to confront such uncomfortable choices is part of what made Circle so memorable and why there is already anticipation to see what Circle 2 comes up with.
Circle 2 will enter production later this year.
Source: Variety
