Wanted director proposes unique idea to shoot Wanted 2

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

2008's WANTED is one of those films that entertains exactly as it needs to in the moment while allowing you to check your brain at the door and get caught up in its action, visuals, and kinetic energy. A sequel has been discussed since its release but nothing has materialized yet but, if one does, director Timur Bekmambetov has a very unique gimmick he'd like to explore in a follow-up.

Timur Bekmambetov recently locked down a huge deal with Universal Pictures to produce five movies utilizing Screenlife technology. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the technology ditches traditional cameras and tells its story using smartphone cameras, webcams, and computer screens. Bekmambetov, when speaking about the deal with "Deadline", explained that instead of curving bullets in a WANTED sequel, the next film could be done in this style:

"Maybe do the Wanted sequel in Screenlife. I cannot imagine an assassin in today's world would run with a gun. Why? He will use drones, he will use computer technology, probably. You don't need to bend bullets anymore. You need to bend ideas."

In the original film starring James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, and Morgan Freeman, McAvoy plays a frustrated office worker that learns that he is the son of a professional assassin and that he shares his father's superhuman killing abilities. The idea of using Screenlife for a sequel is certainly forward-thinking considering the situation at hand with the COVID-19 pandemic has forced studios to think outside the box when it comes to production. Screenlife would allow production to take place without people being in the same room and it's this concept that secured Bekmambetov's deal with Universal.

The big appeal of the concept is that it can be made on the cheap. Universal distributed the 2014 horror film UNFRIENDED, which utilized the technology, and that film was made for just $1 million before going on to make $62 million at the worldwide box office. 2018's SEARCHING was also filmed via Screenlife and made an even more impressive $75 million worldwide on a mere $880,000 budget. Bekmambetov believes this is what has changed the conversation in regards to using the technology more frequently:

"Just two months ago we were too abstract, and nobody could understand what I mean when I explain Screenife, but after two months of isolation, we are all learning to live in a digital universe. We have a long relationship with Universal; I made Wanted with them, we had an interesting project in Russia called Black Lightning, the first Russian superhero movie. And then Unfriended. Donna Langley was the first studio executive to say, 'OK, we will take a risk and release this movie, which will bring a computer screen to the big screen in the theater.' It was successful, with Donna and Jason Blum supporting us. And now, they are supporting me as I create my own film language."

I think the biggest obstacle for a WANTED sequel using this technology would be budget. Could you make a feasibly good action film on a cheaper budget using Screenlife? WANTED was made for $75 million, pretty small potatoes for a studio action film, but substantial enough to get the job done. Making a film like this with a lower price tag might be a little hard but Bekmambetov seems game to utilize this fresh way of filmmaking for some of his future films.

Do YOU want to see a sequel to WANTED? Do YOU think using the Screenife technology would be a good approach?