The Southland Tales prequel will be an animation and live-action hybrid, says writer Richard Kelly. Back in 2006, fans of the filmmaker were very eager to see what the acclaimed Donnie Darko director would come up with for his second feature film.

While not exactly a box office smash, Donnie Darko arrived in 2001 to a very modest theatrical run. The film – a strange yet intriguing take on psychological horror, failed to make its $4.5 million budget back, but despite this, both critics and audiences took an immediate liking to it. In fact, it didn’t take long for Donnie Darko to become something of a cult hit. Awards soon followed and even today, some 19 years later, Kelly’s oddly disturbing tale involving a human sized rabbit called Frank continues to resonate with fans. So, when Southland Tales arrived five years after Donnie Darko’s release, people had plenty of reason to pay attention. The film had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and was in competition for the legendary festival’s top honour, the Palme d’Or. Unfortunately, critics savaged the film for its extensive running time, sprawling nature and what many interpreted as its cryptic yet empty plot. Things didn’t fare much better for Kelly’s opus upon wide release, either, and today, Southland Tales has been largely forgotten by most, save for hardcore Kelly fans.

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But as is often the case in Hollywood, forgotten doesn’t necessarily mean gone. On Twitter, Kelly revealed his plans for a Southland Tales prequel film. The new addition to the original film will apparently contain both animated and live-action elements, and will represent the first three chapters in what Kelly maintains has always been a six chapter saga. In addition to this, Kelly also stated that he has been busy with 4K restorations of both the Cannes cut of Southland Tales as well as its theatrical counterpart. Said Kelly:

It certainly sounds like Kelly has always seen more in Southland Tales than most. Almost 15 years after its original release, the 45-year old filmmaker is still captivated by the ambitious world he’s created and the plans to incorporate both animated and live-action elements sound intriguing, to say the least. At the same time, however, Kelly’s prequel also sounds somewhat confusing, and this has been one of the key complaints regarding Southland Tales over the years as well. Nonetheless, it appears that Kelly is ready to double down on the film that has previously caused him so much trouble. As things currently stand, it’s been over a decade since Kelly last released a film. What began as a very promising and interesting filmmaking career has resulted in only three films over the course of 20 years. That’s not to say that Kelly isn’t capable of great success, only that it’s been a while since we’ve seen it.

Whether or not a Southland Tales prequel does in fact materialize remains to be seen, but Kelly has assured the public that the script is ready. More importantly, the assets to get the production off the ground have also reportedly been secured. Some may say that it’s best to just let sleeping dogs lie with regard to trying to get another Southland Tales film off the ground. The truth in all this, however, is that Kelly’s filmmaking has always been unique, done in an inimitable style. It seems a bit of stretch that a prequel film is what’s always been missing from Southland Tales, but Kelly’s own belief in the project is, at this point, so enduring that it alone will likely ignite a deeper interest from audiences, should the film become a reality.

Source: Richard Kelly

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Mike Jones
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Mike Jones is an author, screenwriter, world traveller and cinephile. His work has been featured in print and online in a variety of publications, and he’s also a Berlinale Talents alumnus. Cinema has always moved him in a big way and aside from having seen The Talented Mr Ripley more times than any other living person, he maintains a pretty darn healthy physical media collection. His favourite filmmakers include: Jordan Peele, David Lean, Alfred Hitchcock, Mike Leigh, Steven Spielberg, the Dardenne Brothers, Noah Baumbach, Michael Haneke, Barry Jenkins and Andrea Arnold. Often jet-lagged, Mike once turned down a certain A-list celebrity’s offer to join them for a night of partying after a strange encounter in an airport.

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