Far beyond being a mere poster on the wall of every first-year Uni student circa 1999 – 2005, Trainspotting was a legit cult phenomenon, garnering universal praise from critics and a rabid fan following that’s only grown over time.
The 1996 smash hit film, based on the even-better book by Irvine Welsh, launched the careers of both Ewan McGregor and director Danny Boyle (among others) and remains one of the most widely beloved British films of all time.
And after two long decades, it looks like we’re finally gonna see the much talked about sequel.
Welsh penned Porno, the direct sequel to Trainspotting back in 2002. Ever since then, Boyle has often stated a desire to adapt the novel for the screen, with the story centring on the same characters 10 years after the original.
But a raft of different circumstances delayed, or prevented, the project from gathering any momentum – namely, McGregor’s bad blood with Boyle after the director passed him over for the lead role in The Beach (bullet dodged TBQH) a role that instead went to some unknown hack named Leonardo DiCaprio.
Time heals all everythings, so the saying goes. And the pair have subsequently made nice and patched things up. And thus, the sequel is now officially a go.
In an interview with Collider, McGregor confirmed that the project is moving ahead (under the working title “Untitled Trainspotting Sequel“) and that the cameras are scheduled to start rolling in May.
“It’s been 10 years since Irvine Welsh wrote the sequel novel, “Porno”, so it’s been a long time, a lot of speculation. For me, too! 10 years ago, I didn’t want to do it; I wasn’t ready to do it. Also, there was no script.”
“The script only arrived very recently, which was really, really, really good. I think, if that had not happened, none of us would be into it. I think we’re all sort of somewhat protective of what Trainspotting means to people, and what it means to us. None of us want to make a poor sequel to it. So had we not been presented with the most extraordinary script, which we were, I think we wouldn’t be making the sequel. But because we were, we are.”
The entire original cast is back on board for the sequel, including both Robert Carlyle (who in the past has said he’d do the sequel “tomorrow, for free“) and the thunderously excellent Kelly Macdonald.
No time frame on the release is know at this early stage, but with concrete knowledge that it’s actually happening finally in place, it might be time to start choosing life once again.
Source: Collider.
