2013’s Mama impressed critics and raked it in at the box office. Given that the golden rule of horror cinema is that every success must beget at least one sequel (or these days, preferably an ever-expanding cinematic universe), many fans have been wondering where the hell Mama 2 is. Well, according to star Javier Botet, there were once plans, but they’ve fallen by the wayside.
Here’s what he had to say in a recent interview:
“Well, there was a screenplay a few years ago. It was always a project that could be done, but I don’t know anything about it at this point.”
The interviewer pressed a little further – presumably as eager as we are for a taste of what might’ve come after the events of the first film – but all Botet would spill was this:
Yeah, we thought there might be more story to tell, especially in the first year or so after Mama came out. But now that it’s been five years, I think that window has closed. So, I don’t know. I’m more certain about sequels to other films, like a Crooked Man movie from The Conjuring franchise.
So, that’s that then. All that remains about the aborted production online are some 2016 reports announcing it, with Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch attached to direct. There’s still an IMDb page up for the film, but it seems to have been deserted soon after being made.
Would Mama 2 have been any good, though? Well, in all honesty, the original had a pretty conclusive ending that might make a sequel a bit of a stretch. Add to that the fact that we’re not exactly short on quality horror films these days and it might not be so much of a loss.
Still, I have fond memories of the excellent creature design and animation in Mama, not to mention the pretty damn twisted plot revelations. And considering that Critters and Killer Klowns from Outer Space have recently been brought back from the dead, I wouldn’t write off Mama 2 completely just yet.
