Here’s the first official Wolf Creek 2 trailer, replete with truck crashes, headbutts and lots of Mick shit-talking:
Wolf Creek 2 – The Trailer
The trailer made its way online last night, followed by a Q&A with herr director Greg McLean at http://www.wolfcreek2hangout.com.au/ You can still watch the interview, I believe.
We also now have an official poster (the infamous watermark one-sheet was just a quick mockup for sales distributors at Cannes). I’m calling it the crotch-shot.
Looks like a fun road trip, no?
**EDIT: The Wolf Creek 2 website’s just gone live, replete with the trailer and some stills to peruse. ‘Tis here: www.wolfcreek2.com.au
We premiered at Venice early September to (I’m told) a standing ovation, and we’ve also just screened at the prestigious SITGES Festival in Catalonia. Both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter reviewed WC2 following the Venice Film Festival screening and were mostly — if guardedly — positive.
Guy Lodge’s Variety review had this to say in its opening paras:
[The Wolf Creek sequel] isn’t playing quite the same game, baiting auds with more-of-the-same terror for its first third, before taking an unexpected left turn into something approximating culture-war comedy — albeit with lashings of Grand Guignol gore. Neither as striking nor as fundamentally scary as its predecessor, this pumped-up, robustly crafted pic is still quite a ride, and one that genre-inclined distribs should have no qualms about hitching.
I’m okay with that. We purposefully tried to not rehash the first film, as can often be the case with sequels, and play a more unexpected game. And I don’t know that the film’s meant to be as especially scary as such — as it’s so much more action-based and thriller-oriented. But if the young ‘uns in front of me at one of the test screenings watching much of the movie between their fingers were anything to go by, it’s scary enough for some.
Deborah Young in The Hollywood Reporter calls it an “edge-of-seat gorefest” and states that:
[…] poetics are clearly peripheral to the film’s main concern, which is to be as scary and violent as possible for worldwide sadism fans who want to leave the theater with twisted guts of their own.
Yes. Sorry about that.
Empire Online‘s Damon Wise also caught the screening and despite not actually liking the first film had this to say about the sequel:
This time round, though, there are switch-and-bait surprises, some genuine attempts to portray the human cost of such vicious violence, plus a lot of exhilarating chases that could come straight from the ’70s golden age of Ozploitation, when Brian Trenchard-Smith was king.
Oo cool.
And to think there’s still four months to go before you can all see it.
Dang.
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Hi mate thanks as always for the updates and insights regarding WC2, I’m really looking forward to next February!
Having just enjoyed a Halloween screening of WC I noticed for the first time in the credits a certain Mr A Sterns ..great cameo sir!
Hey Marc. Great to hear from you again. Yes indeed, I played one of the truckies in the roadhouse: officially ‘Bazza’s Mate’ (Bazza being the towering Andy McPhee – thankfully the rest of us stayed seated). So I’m a Wolf Creek alumni, I guess you’d say — appearing in both films, and now co-writing the sequel and also writing a Mick Taylor prequel novel! I believe the novel may be out by Christmas (to beat the film’s release here in Aus in Feb), but I’m hoping to have more info when I post about it in a week or two. I’ll also be able to post the synopsis of the novel then too. Going to be a big couple of months!
Cheers Aaron! That really was a great back-slapping cameo, I’ve watched the film so many times but never realised that was you. As for Andy McPhee, even though he’s only onscreen for a few minutes his performance is absolutely electrifying!
http://marcdlewisart.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/charcoal-portraits.html
I’m really intrigued by the novel, I think it’s a great idea to delve deeper into Mick’s background and I’m looking forward to reading it. It can’t have been the most cheerful time for you having a character like Mick bouncing around inside your head for several months!
By the way I thought you might be interested in this, I’m an artist and have just completed my first portrait of Mick, it’s on my art blog I’d love to know what you think
PS Is the Feb release date worldwide or just in Australia? I haven’t heard about a release date here in England so far.
That’s an awesome portrait, Marc. It goes to show I was right to give up my hope of an artist’s career long ago. I’ll never be at that level. (The only artwork of any description I do now seems to be sketches of Moomintroll for my daughter, but at least she’s appreciative. She is 1, however.) The Bane illustration is jaw-dropping, by the way.
I’ll be doing a post about the writing experience once I’m allowed to talk about the novel more, but — yes — it was definitely an intense few months exploring a more intimate psychological portrait of Mick than we could pursue in the films. When the idea of a prequel novel was first raised, I realised I had a very clear idea about Mick’s early years and the storyline quickly unfolded in my mind. Which was just as well, because I had a killer deadline of about four or five months from conception through to handing in the final manuscript. Somehow, I made it. The weirdest aspect, though, is that I became obsessed for a few months on ways to hide bodies in the outback. It seemed that’d be the central concern of a fledgling serial killer. I’m very, very glad to not have to dwell on that anymore. It’s creepy.
The Feb release date for WC2 is for Australia only. I know they’re in talks as we speak for other territories, but until they’re sold I don’t think other countries (such as the UK) have release dates yet. I don’t even know for sure when the novel’s due, although I believe it’s off to the printers very soon! It’d be nice if it’s ready for Christmas. It’ll make my present list to family and friends much easier
Thanks for the interest Marc. Hope the wait will be worth it for you.
Thanks for the kind words reg my artwork Aaron, I really appreciate it! In my early years I wanted to be a writer but found I enjoyed drawing more. I think you made the right career choice to be honest, it’s not easy trying to make a living as a full-time artist! Although I am curious to see your Moomintroll sketches
I’m really looking forward to reading more about your writing process, I read in your interview ‘A Stern Warning’ that the deadline was a killer (pardon the pun!), does this add or detract in any way from the finished product? For example I’ve had a few extremely tight deadlines in the past myself and I sometimes find that there’s an energy to the final piece that perhaps wouldn’t be there if I had the luxury of more time, does this apply to writing too?
It does sound very creepy having to constantly think about the key aspects of Mick’s fledgling years, particularly thinking of ways to hide bodies in the Outback. I think I read somewhere that Jonathan Nolan who co-wrote The Dark Knight simply couldn’t get The Joker character out of his head for months after finishing the screenplay. Hopefully the end product will be well worth the discomfort, I can’t wait to read it!
Thanks again for the updates and for taking the time to look at my work Aaron, roll on February 2014!
It’s not easy being a writer either, believe me
Oh for the days of patrons.
The Moomin sketches (the Tove Jansson books were my favourite as a kid, and I’ve already got the whole collection for my daughter) are just silly things I do every so often. Here’s one:
http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/ab73/nikdante1/f35ccea1-44b8-4200-b9d5-51e48c20fa3f_zpsf841ab08.jpg
The only other thing I now do is quick whiteboard-marker sketches on presents (it saves on cards!). Again, silly, but my nephews like it, so I’ll take any audience I can get. Here’s a transformers-style robot I did for my ten-year old nephew:
http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/ab73/nikdante1/robotdrawing_zpsc8959803.jpg
And as for the deadline, yes, I think it did actually help me in the end. I didn’t have time to second-guess myself, as I do with everything else. But I guess the proof will be in the pudding!
Hey Aaron that Transformers-style robot is really good, you’re quite handy with a marker pen! I’m like you in that I’d rather do a small portrait as a present than send cards, money etc. It’s more personal and a lot cheaper! The Moomin sketch looks like a lot of fun, I can imagine you had a really good time drawing it! Quite a contrast compared to writing horror novels & thinking of ways in which to bury bodies in the Outback!
Would you be interested in exchanging a signed copy of your book for an original drawing or portrait of your choice? It can be anything you like, family, friends, pet, whatever you fancy. I’d love to own a piece of Wolf Creek memorabilia and what better than to have a book signed by Bazza’s mate? If you’re interested send me an email, you should have my address on file. If you don’t fancy it then, as Mick would say, “no worries.”
Best of luck with the film and particularly the book Aaron and thanks so much for conversing with me, it’s been great fun! I’ll be checking in regularly for more updates, cheers mate!
Sorry Marc — I was waylaid by a deadline and have only now checked the site again. I’ll email you now!