Matthew Lillard, Devon Sawa and More Will Need Purple Hair Dye for ‘SLC Punk’ Sequel (Exclusive)

By  · Published on May 9th, 2013

Updated: I’ve just gotten word that both Chris McDonald and Til Schweiger are still in talks, so it’s unclear at this point if they’ll be in for the project. Let’s hope so. Original post follows:

There’s a scene in Matthew Lillard’s feature directorial debut where he plays a principal who’s effectively a grown-up version of Stevo from SLC Punk. Now, he’s in talks to reprise the iconic cult role for real.

Late yesterday, director James Merendino announced he’d be making Punk’s Dead to explore what happens when the rebellious get older. “I made SLC Punk when I was a kid, and accordingly, the story is naive, and, as just a coming of age story, not finished,” Merendino said. “The characters are facing big questions, 18 years later, as outsiders, Punk rockers… What relevance do they have in a world where all statements have already been made?”

The announcement vaguely noted that “most of the original cast” would return, but a source close to the production has confirmed that Lillard is on that list. Contract deals are not finalized, but Lillard, Annabeth Gish, Devon Sawa and Michael A. Goorjian are all preparing to return for the project.

Which is awesome. Normally decades-later sequels can be iffy, but this one has an excellent thematic reason to be made. Selling out or buying in, it would be fantastic to catch up with these characters almost two decades later. It’ll be like Before Midnight with mohawks.

Honestly, merely getting Lillard and McDonald back would be dramatic gold, but having that many from the original cast return for the sequel is the cherry on top. My prediction is that Stevo is going to be listening to Descendents’ “When I Get Old” a lot, but there’s no telling how they’ll get Goorjian’s Bob back into the mix.

The production is currently aiming to shoot this August with eyes on a 2014 release date.

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