Reefer on Two
Dazed and Confused sequel to film this fall? Alright, alright, alright
It’s the cult film that solidified Austin as a filmmaking destination, earned the Star of Texas Award from the Austin Film Society earlier this year, and counts Quentin Tarantino among its fans. Could we soon see the return of a bunch of stoned youngsters riding around Austin in a retro setting with a classic soundtrack?
That’s what Dazed and Confused director Richard Linklater hopes to accomplish sometime this fall. If his plans come together, he will finally film the “spiritual” successor to one of the best high school comedies ever made.
While taking part in a Reddit AMA on May 23, the question came up about the status of the pseudo-sequel that Linklater has discussed for years but has never been able to push out of pre-production.
Linklater responded by saying, “Hoping to make it this fall, actually. A college comedy. I feel like mixing it up with a big ensemble.”
These few sentence fragments may be scant on detail, but Linklater has previously expressed what the film’s sequel would look like. It’s a welcome reminder to fans that the director still believes in the project and wants to make it happen.
What would the Dazed and Confused follow-up look like? Since it is indeed a spiritual successor, Linklater does not intend for any of the original characters to make an appearance. Instead, the story would revolve around the shenanigans and misadventures of some college students during a weekend in 1980 or so. Does that mean we could we hear some Devo playing on car radios?
The project almost went into production in 2010 under the title That’s What I’m Talking About, but despite having the money, Linklater couldn’t find a distributor. If he can take care of business — and we sincerely hope he can — perhaps it won’t be much longer before audiences get another blast from the past in theaters.