When you see Paul W.S. Anderson’s name attached to a movie whether he’s calling the shots as a director, had a hand in writing the script or he’s producing the project, you generally know what to expect. There’s going to be a fantasy element that usually leans into horror, plenty of visual effects-driven action and more than likely an appearance from Milla Jovovich.
The filmmaker’s next effort, Monster Hunter, looks to combine all of Anderson’s signature flourishes into one complete package, and even sees him back in video game adaptation territory after previously tackling beloved cult favorite Mortal Kombat a quarter of a century ago, producing the horrendous DOA: Dead or Alive and bringing the Resident Evil franchise to the big screen.
Based on the footage we’ve seen so far, Monster Hunter has absolutely no designs on convincing skeptics that the action-packed blockbuster is worth their time, and looks to deliver exactly what audiences have come to expect from Anderson over the years. The fact that fans of the video game blasted the first trailer isn’t particularly encouraging, either, but you don’t need to be familiar with the source material to get a kick out of the mindless entertainment that comes with seeing a ragtag group of characters battle against giant beasts.
Of course, there are question marks over Monster Hunter‘s ability to turn a profit given that it marks one of the very few major releases coming to theaters before the end of 2020, but in a recent interview, Jovovich confirmed that her husband is already hard at work writing a sequel.
“Definitely, we would love to make another one. Hopefully people are going to love it because I know Paul would love to make a sequel. I mean, he’s already writing something.”
While Anderson’s Mortal Kombat and Alien vs. Predator got follow-ups, and Death Race spawned three direct-to-video sequels, he wasn’t involved in any of them and Resident Evil marks the only time he’s directed multiple installments in a series. However, it looks like Monster Hunter could be set to change that.
