Fox Atomic Eyes The Hills Have Eyes 3
Be warned, Fox Atomic is prepared to make The Hills Have Eyes 3 if the sequel is successful.
I believe this trend began when Lionsgate green-lit SAW 2 immediately following the opening weekend of the original. It seems to be a growing trend in horror movies. I'm under the belief that the development executives believe there is a finite shelf life for a movie property. And by shelf life, I don't mean one, two or three films. I mean – a time limit. I think they believe they must strike while the iron is still hot, allowing the DVD to cross market the theatrical sequel. While this may sound great to any business man, they have lost the concept of story and entertainment. If a story is rushed into production to capitalize on the success of the movie property, quality is usually lost in the process. And one must remember, the kiddies will stop going if it's not entertaining (or at least in theory).
So my advice to Lionsgate and Fox Atomic: Develop the sequel while you're readying a film for theatrical release. Why wait. Begin the process now. Hiring a screenwriter or two is not that expensive. With all the money that goes to development of projects that never materialize, they can afford this. And maybe after the opening weekend breaks last year's record, they might have a story that is ready to be greenlit. Now there's an idea.
The Hills Have Eyes 2 hits theaters on March 23rd 2007.