After years of sitting around collecting dust, Sergei Bodrov’s Seventh Son is ready to take viewers on a enchanted journey filled with monsters, mayhem, and another one of Jeff Bridges’ interesting accents. Starring Julianne Moore, Ben Barnes, Bridges, and many other familiar faces, Bodrov’s film will finally be unleashing itself on the general public February 6th, a date that also brings about questions of a sequel if the box office numbers warrant another go. We all know the current landscape of Hollywood – if the numbers are there, a franchise will be born – and no one would be happier to see another Seventh Son than Barnes himself.
This weekend, I had the chance to chat with Barnes about his role as Master Gregory’s young apprentice, Tom Ward, who is learning the ropes about monster hunting in medieval times. Barnes believes Seventh Son is just the beginning of Ward’s cinematic exploits though, recognizing that he’s primed and ready to become an intriguing character who is now ready to lead on his own. I asked Barnes if there were any plans to make a sequel, and while he confirmed that it would all depend on how financially successful the current film is, he also gave an enthusiastic response about where he’d like to see a second film go – confirming that he’d be ready if a green light is given.
Here’s what Barnes had to say about his ideas for a Seventh Son sequel (minor spoilers to follow):
I want to see where it goes. I think this is just the tentative steps for Tom. [Seventh Son] is an interesting exploration of the history and baggage of Gregory and Malkin, but for Tom, it takes a while for him to get going, to show who HE is. I would love to see him with some of that baggage. He gives up something at the end of the film, for the “greater good,” and I want to see how that takes a toll on him. Whether he turns more into Gregory or different from him – he certainly seems more serious then Gregory at the end. I would like to explore that more.
I also think the relationship between him and Alice would be intriguing, because do they become intertwined lovers who can’t keep away from each other? Or are they going to be enemies? Will they blame each other for the way they behaved so far and in the future? There’s room for exploration. I’m enthusiastic about it, but like many things, it’s a business transaction.
Let me again repeat how enthusiastic Barnes was about the possibility of a sequel, which is exactly what you want to see if another film does move forward. Barnes is invested in the character, wanting to create a legacy instead of just a one-off persona. It’s all speculation right now as we wait to see how the numbers fall for Seventh Son, but if a sequel does become reality, they’ve found the right actor worth investing a franchise in. Now we play the waiting game.
