Twitter is a funny thing, isn’t it? One day you’re making jokes and posting funny memes, the next day you’re talking to Grabbers screenwriter Kevin Lehane and discussing his ideas for a Grabbers 2. Wow, I love the internet. Please note that there are currently no plans in place for a Grabbers 2 yet, and Lehane even confirmed this, but even so – his ideas for sequel are pretty freakin’ focused for a man with nothing but a pitch.
For those of you wondering what Grabbers is, go ahead and check out my review for one of the funniest creature features I’ve seen in a while. Mixing elements of Amblin-style filmmaking and a tone that reminded me somewhat of Gremlins, Lehane’s story tells about a small island off the coast of Ireland that is attacked by slimy, tentacled aliens who are poisoned by alcohol. So how do the townspeople seek safety? By getting shitfaced, of course!
Seriously, if you haven’t checked out Grabbers and are in the mood for a phenomenal midnight movie experience, you need to power up whatever Video On Demand device you have and pop this puppy on.
At the end of Jon Wright’s movie is a cliffhanger though, one that opens up plans for a sequel I’m sure some are expecting, but after “conversing” with Lehane, that isn’t the sequel he wants to make. It’s a rather long Twitter conversation, so I’ll try to break out his Tweets only:
@IRGJones @DoNatoBomb If I wrote Grabbers 2 it would begin with the same meteroite crash and follow the coast guard's story. Set at sea.
— Kevin Lehane (@KevinLehane) July 24, 2013
@IRGJones @DoNatoBomb A parralequel, not a sequel. Lots of twists and turns and a lot more to learn about the Grabbers and their tastes.
— Kevin Lehane (@KevinLehane) July 24, 2013
@IRGJones @DoNatoBomb Same boat. The coast guard arrived and we never met them or saw what they were up to. A lot happened.
— Kevin Lehane (@KevinLehane) July 24, 2013
@IRGJones @DoNatoBomb I doubt we'll ever make a Grabbers 2, but if we did. That'd be my take. Shhh! 😉
— Kevin Lehane (@KevinLehane) July 24, 2013
@DoNatoBomb @IRGJones The Grabbers tend to only feed on warm blooded species, too. So, you can imagine what else folks would need to do.
— Kevin Lehane (@KevinLehane) July 24, 2013
@DoNatoBomb @IRGJones And *if* that boat at the beginning was one of a number who illegally transport marijuana along the coast, well…
— Kevin Lehane (@KevinLehane) July 24, 2013
@DoNatoBomb @IRGJones And, if the Grabbers need water to survive, then being stuck on a swaying boat in a storm in the Grabbers element…
— Kevin Lehane (@KevinLehane) July 24, 2013
@DoNatoBomb @IRGJones No, there are no plans to make a Grabbers 2, I'm afraid. I was just sharing my take. 🙂
— Kevin Lehane (@KevinLehane) July 24, 2013
@DoNatoBomb @IRGJones You can see how things would become messier and more extreme. Also, more expensive, so I doubt it'll ever happen.
— Kevin Lehane (@KevinLehane) July 24, 2013
@DoNatoBomb @IRGJones No, just a pitch doc that I wrote long before Grabbers was optioned.
— Kevin Lehane (@KevinLehane) July 24, 2013
As a fan of Grabbers, I feel like this would be an entirely fitting sequel to follow up on the creature-centric action. We already watched a group of characters fight off the monsters using alcohol, but the Coast Guard won’t have an abundance of that while at sea. They’ll have to discover their own ways to fight off the invading species, and on the monster’s home turf. As Kevin said, they’re surrounded by water, which is what the aliens need to live, so no longer would the trapped humans have dry land to protect them. Talk about starting over from ground zero – there’s so much to explore!
Lehane’s ideas are sadly nothing but a hope and a dream at this point, as Kevin mentioned he might be re-teaming with director Jon Wright eventually on a completely different project, but it’s a dream I’ll keep alive. Kevin Lehane’s Grabbers 2 sounds like a completely separate movie from his first, which is exactly what a sequel should be. We had fun with the drunken antics already, but maybe a sequel could show the creatures in a more vicious light? While this is nothing but a pitch, go watch Grabbers on your own and tell me this idea doesn’t sound awesome. I dare you. Can we get a little hype over here?
