I love the original film. It is one of the primary reasons that I can't help but look at Burt Reynolds and wonder, "What happened?" That film is sheer terror and suspense. It feels so visceral and real. To do a sequel... well I feel it would truly cheapen what is already a great film. Perhaps if a great script that treated the new journey as a 'coming to terms' with what has come before. As a serious drama about three men conquering their pasts, it could be wonderful. But if it were to become a 'DELIVERANCE 2: RETURN OF THE HILLBILLIES' well... that would just about blow. Imagine a serious film that took these characters forward, that literally thought about it in the same terms that happen to men that revisit a past battlefield where friends died. I can't imagine Burt directing it, but who knows. I would pick someone along the lines of Ang Lee or Atom Egoyan, but hey... that's me. Here's the story...
Just saw a feature on www.bbc.co.uk Reynolds for Deliverance II
[ image: Burt Reynolds: Planning sequel to Deliverance]
Burt Reynolds: Planning sequel to Deliverance
Burt Reynolds is moving ahead with plans to direct and star in Deliverance
II - a sequel to the acclaimed 1972 film based on the book by James Dickey.
He says original co-stars Jon Voight and Ned Beatty are enthusiastic about a
sequel to the tale of businessmen who run into danger on a weekend river
trip.
"We're all in pretty good health and it might be believable that we would
start out on another canoe trip," he said.
"I don't know how long we'd last," he added.
