EXCLUSIVE: One of Fantasia’s hottest premieres has already landed a major studio. Ahead of its World Premiere in Fantasia’s prestigious […]
EXCLUSIVE: One of Fantasia’s hottest premieres has already landed a major studio.
Ahead of its World Premiere in Fantasia’s prestigious Cheval Noir Competition, Paramount Pictures has acquired Freaks Part II, the long-awaited follow-up to the 2018 sci-fi cult favorite from Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, Dread Central can exclusively report.
The acquisition comes at a perfect moment for the directing duo, who are riding high after the blockbuster success of Final Destination: Bloodlines. Now they’re returning to the universe that first put them on the genre map.
Set several years after the events of the original film, Freaks Part II follows Mary (Amanda Crew, Silicon Valley, Freaks) and her daughter Chloe (Lorelei Olivia Mote, Days of Our Lives, Riddle of Fire) as they live on the run, concealing both their identities and extraordinary powers. Hunted by the Abnormal Defense Force, a ruthless paramilitary unit dedicated to exterminating “freaks,” Mary becomes consumed with finding the officer responsible for murdering her first child, played by Lily Taylor (The Conjuring, Outer Range).
According to Fantasia, Freaks Part II features “inventive gore, the most we’ve seen in a Canadian film in years,” while “packing dazzling action and thrills.” The festival describes the sequel as “a fierce anti-superhero thriller that skillfully conveys themes of police states, family, and finding your tribe.”
The original Freaks quietly became one of the standout independent science fiction films of 2018 thanks to its intimate storytelling and inventive take on the superhero genre. With the filmmakers now coming off one of the biggest horror hits of the year, anticipation for the sequel has only grown.
Freaks Part II will make its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival on Aug. 2 as part of the Cheval Noir Competition, with Paramount Pictures now set to bring the mutant thriller to audiences following its festival debut.
