James Merendino, writer and director of 1998 cult classic SLC Punk, returns with another story of coming-of-age as a rebellious outsider in Utah's hinterlands. The sequel, Punk's Dead: SLC Punk 2, is scheduled to debut in its titular city February 11, followed by select screenings around the country. Watch the trailer below.
Returning characters include Michael Goorjian as Heroin Bob, Devon Sawa as Sean the Beggar and Sarah Clarke as Trish; newcomers include Colson Baker (AKA Machine Gun Kelly) as Crash, Hannah Marks as Penny, and Ben Schnetzer as Ross, the goth love child of Bob and Trish, Alternative Press reports.
Punk's Dead picks up 17 years after SLC Punk left off. At the center of the sequel's plot is the story of the late Heroin Bob's now-teenaged son, Ross, who embarks on a road trip to a punk show along with his friends. During their odyssey Ross sheds his goth outlook and lives a little thanks to some alcohol, drugs, and of course punk rock.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Merendino explains that the forthcoming film was partially funded by fans via an Indiegogo campaign and rather surprisingly "got a lot of people to give money - and these guys don't have money. I mean they're punks, and they're young." The director adds that "They actually became sort of the backbone, the support of the movie. There's no way I would have made the movie without these people. In fact, I changed the script a lot based on feedback from social media."
In the EW interview the writer/director also revealed that the forthcoming sequel has been in the works pretty much since SLC Punk first premiered. He "even wanted to make an SLC Goth right away, or SLC Mod."
In the interview, Merendino also revealed that he has a script ready for a third film about punks in Salt Lake City, Utah but explains "It would take a lot of money" because "it's Stevo-centric, the character that was played in [the first film] by Matthew Lillard. That character, for me, went everywhere. He left Salt Lake and experienced the whole world. I've got him all over the place."
Punk's Dead will be available for early download on February 16th and on home DVD March 8th via Cinedigm.
