Made on a budget of less than $100,000, director Rhys Frake-Waterfield’s movie Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey (watch it HERE) earned more than $6 million during its global release earlier this year. So it was no surprise to hear that a sequel was on the fast track, with Premiere Entertainment having secured multiple international distribution deals for Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, which would have a substantially larger budget than its predecessor. The sequel is now in production, and The Hollywood Reporter has unveiled a batch of first look images that feature Pooh and Piglet, as well as Christopher Robin and Owl! You can check them out at the bottom of this article.
A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book Winnie-the-Pooh and the characters in it lapsed into the public domain at the start of last year, and that’s how Frake-Waterfield was able to make these movies happen, no permission required. In the build-up to the release of the first movie, the filmmaker explained to Variety that Pooh and Piglet (go) on a rampage after being abandoned by a college-bound Christopher Robin. “Christopher Robin is pulled away from them, and he’s not [given] them food, it’s made Pooh and Piglet’s life quite difficult. Because they’ve had to fend for themselves so much, they’ve essentially become feral. So they’ve gone back to their animal roots. They’re no longer tame: they’re like a vicious bear and pig who want to go around and try and find prey.”
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter about Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, Frake-Waterfield said, “Bigger and Badder. The sequel will feature new creature designs, a new cast, and a high death count. However, this time Pooh and friends will be leaving the 100 Acre Wood to take their fight to the quiet community of Ashdown!“
Matt Leslie, writer/producer of Summer of 84, wrote the screenplay for the sequel, working from a story he crafted with Frake-Waterfield. Leslie had this to say: “After speaking with Rhys and hearing his vision — his desire to push boundaries in terms of production scope, and to craft a really unique, twisty plot that also gave significant depth to the characters — I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of. They’re making something special. Something that will absolutely blow people away.“
Producer Scott Jeffrey added, “Our sequel we have a substantially higher budget so Rhys is really able to create a shocking, explosive and gore-filled movie. I truly think people will really dig what we are creating.“
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 stars Tallulah Evans (Son of Rambow) alongside Scott Chambers (Doctor Jekyll) as Christopher Robin, Ryan Oliva (Seasoning House) as Winnie-the-Pooh, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney (The Pope’s Exorcist) as Young Winnie-the-Pooh, and Simon Callow (Four Weddings and a Funeral) as a character called Cavendish. Vince Knight is back as cinematographer. Shaune Harrison, who has worked on the likes of World War Z, Game of Thrones, and the Harry Potter franchise, is handling the creature designs and gore, with Paula Anne Booker overseeing the special effects.
Are you looking forward to Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2? Let us know by leaving a comment below – but first, take a look at these images:
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