Edgar Wright is one of the most interesting filmmakers that came out in the early 2000s. He is an auteur filmmaker known for his energetic and stylish way of staging and executing his films. His films like Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, and Baby Driver have been very well-received by critics and audiences.
However, his most memorable film in his career is 2002’s Shaun of the Dead. The zombie comedy is considered the first of its kind and the flagbearer of the genre that has become very popular in current times. It seems there were plans for an American TV adaptation of the film but Wright was not interested.
Edgar Wright Was Not Interested in Doing An American Adaptation of Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead came out in 2002 and became a runaway success. The zombie comedy was a first of its kind while also being the first of three collaborations between director Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg. Owing to its huge success, there were offers from American producers who wanted to adapt it into a TV show for an American audience ( just like what happened with Ricky Gervais’ The Office).
But Wright was not interested in the offer and did not give the rights to the film to them. In an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused Podcast, Wright talked about this anecdote and how he wants to have full creative control if that kind of situation ever happens. He said,
“There have been some conversations about that, yes. We’ve been quite protective about that. A long time ago, an American company wanted to do a TV series of ‘Shaun of the Dead,’ based on the film. We were like, ‘No!’ “Sometimes when these things come up, we take them very seriously. And some things are things we are still talking about. I know I’d be a lot richer if I said yes to everything.”
Wright and Pegg went on to do other highly successful films including Hot Fuzz and The World’s End. The three films together are popularly known as The Three Flavors Cornetto trilogy.
Edgar Wright Explains Why He Hasn’t Made a Shaun of the Dead Sequel
Shaun of the Dead is arguably the most loved and memorable zombie comedy that has ever been made. The highly successful comedy was also the start of a wonderful collaboration between Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg who went on to do two more movies together.
Wright in an interview, explained he did not want to make a sequel as he had already covered what he wanted to do in the horror-comedy genre with that film and he did not want to repeat himself. He said (via GamesRadar),
“I haven’t gone back to horror-comedy because, with Shaun of the Dead, I felt like I had said much of what I wanted to say with that movie. It’s difficult to return to that, even as a producer. Sometimes I get sent films — people want to make the next Shaun and want me to come aboard as a producer. But I find it difficult to cover the same territory again.”
Wright has not made a sequel to any of his films and it seems he wants to keep it that way. His 2010 film Scott Pilgrim vs The World was recently reiterated as an animated TV series called Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, which serves as both a remake and a sequel to the 2010 film.
Also read: Edgar Wright Reveals How He Convinced Scott Pilgrim Cast to Return For Netflix’s Anime Adaptation
