Edgar Wright Shuts Down Shaun of the Dead 2 — No Arc, No Sequel

Edgar Wright is out doing press for his new take on The Running Man, which means the inevitable question is back: will he ever make a Shaun of the Dead sequel? Short answer: still no. Longer answer: also no, and he has a pretty clear reason why.

Shaun of the Dead 2? Not happening

In a new chat with Polygon, Wright said he never seriously considered heading back to the Winchester for another round. As far as he is concerned, Shaun (Simon Pegg) finished his journey right where we left him: playing video games in the shed with his best mate Ed (Nick Frost). That ending sticks for a reason.

'There are a lot of franchises where the sequels don’t really earn their keep because all the story has been told in the first movie.'

'We are very happy with it being a one-and-done.'

His point is basically this: Shaun of the Dead (the rom-zom-com that’s now widely considered one of the great horror comedies) already did the character arc. Shaun goes from sad sack to actual hero. If you open a sequel with him already changed, there’s no obvious new arc to hang a movie on. That’s the trap a lot of follow-ups fall into, and Wright is not interested in that just to make another trip to the pub.

What Wright is revisiting: The Running Man (but not the Arnie movie)

Wright’s new project is The Running Man, and he’s not remaking the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie. He’s going back to the source: Stephen King’s novel, originally published under King’s Richard Bachman pen name. King has seen Wright’s script and, notably, praised how he handled the ending. You’ll get to see what that actually looks like when The Running Man hits theaters on November 14.

• Wright told Polygon he never planned a Shaun follow-up and considers the shed ending the true endpoint.
• Reasoning: the first movie already completed Shaun’s arc; forcing a second round would be empty calories.
• Shaun of the Dead stars: Simon Pegg as Shaun, Nick Frost as Ed.
• The Running Man: Wright is adapting King’s book, not redoing the 1987 Schwarzenegger film.
• Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman) praised Wright’s script, especially the ending.
• Release date: The Running Man opens in theaters on November 14.