In 1976, director William Girdler made one of the best JAWS-inspired "nature run amok" movies with his killer bear masterpiece GRIZZLY. Seven years later, a sequel went into production in Hungary with director André Szöts at the helm. Unfortunately, that sequel was never completed due to funding issues and problems between the producers. For almost forty years, GRIZZLY II has been one of the most fascinating "lost films" out there. How could a movie that has a massive concert sequence, a huge mechanical bear, and an amazing cast – George Clooney, Charlie Sheen, and Laura Dern before they became famous, plus Louise Fletcher, John Rhys-Davies, Dick Anthony Williams, Jack Starrett, Charles Cyphers, and Deborah Foreman – have fallen apart so badly that it couldn't be released?
Now it looks like GRIZZLY II is going to be released. Producer Suzanne Csikos Nagy was able to get a clean and crisp digital transfer done of the old footage, and new footage has been shot to finally complete the film after all these years.
Nagy wrote on the film's official website,
We didn’t want to make a 21st century movie when we looked at the footages. We wanted to keep it as original as possible to have an authentic American movie quality from the 80’s. Something that was missed or lost and found later on to attract enthusiastic cult lovers. With the casting power and the existing entertainment value with a big bear, we believe the movie will resonate with today’s audience."
GRIZZLY II: REVENGE (which has also been referred to as GRIZZLY II: THE CONCERT and GRIZZLY II: THE PREDATOR over the years) has the following synopsis:
All hell breaks loose when a 15-ft grizzly bear, reacting to the slaughter of her cub by poachers, seeks revenge and kills anyone that gets in her way. In the 3 days before the major concert taking place in Yellowstone National Park, the gigantic grizzly has brutally attacked campers Ron (George Clooney), Tina (Laura Dern) and Lance (Charlie Sheen), poachers and a park ranger. The terror doesn’t end there as the giant grizzly bear finds its way to the concert grounds to go on a killing spree.
A screening of the newly finished film was held in Los Angeles earlier this week, and hopefully it won't be long before we hear when those of us who weren't at that screening will have our chance to watch the revived and completed GRIZZLY II.
In the meantime, the first GRIZZLY can be viewed on Amazon Prime.
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