Donnie Darko Director Says Sequel Still Possible

Could we see a proper sequel to the mind-bending, time-traveling cult favorite Donnie Darko? Director Richard Kelly seems to think so.

In speaking about the upcoming reissue commemorating the film’s cult status, Kelly was optimistic about a potential sequel that ignores the critically panned (and virtually unseen) S. Darko.

In an interview with with HMV, he was asked about the possibility of returning to that universe and he was more than optimistic.

“I think there’s something much bigger and more ambitious to do in that universe,” Kelly said. “It’s big and expensive and I think there’s time to get to that. I want to make sure we’ve got the budget to do it justice and not to compromise anything.”

Donnie Darko was made with a minimal budget, despite the ambitious science fiction themes. While the original film made use of Drew Barrymore‘s starpower, many of the stars have moved on to much higher profiles in Hollywood.

Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Seth Rogan, and Ashley Tisdale all appeared in the film and have since had strong careers in the wake of the film’s success. Whether any or all of the actors would be willing to return is up in the air at this point.

“Another story in this world needs resources and we need to have that in place,” Kelly said. “I need to get my next film out of the gate and then we can go back and look at it.”

Hopefully Kelly’s comments opens this timeline’s cellar door so we can break out of the loop kickstart talks to bring the sequel fans are clamoring for.