Kevin Bacon’s Cult Classic ’90s Horror Franchise Could Return Soon, Original Writer Reveals

After almost five years since his last chapter, writer SS Wilson reveals the Tremors the franchise could return very soon. Wilson co-wrote the 1990 cult classic horror film led by Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward with Brent Maddock and director Ron Underwood, and remained creatively involved through the first three sequels, including directing the 1996 sequel and prequel. 2004. In the following years, Tremors the franchise included three more sequels, as well as a short-lived TV spin-off and a TV show scrapped with Bacon’s return.

Now, during a recent appearance at the 2nd Annual Tremors Festival in New Mexico (via JoBlo), Wilson revealed that he, Maddock and Underwood reacquired the rights to their original Tremors road map. In turn, he confirmed that he and Stampede Entertainment were looking to bring the franchise back, albeit with a major deviation in that they do not own the rights to all the films after the original. He, however, stated that the studio has “zero intention“to make a remake, but instead make one”sequel set in Perfection, Nevada“. Check out what Wilson shared below:

What we have now, we just got, are the rights to our original script. That’s good, we can redo (Tremors) if we want. We don’t have the rights to the Shriekers, we don’t have the rights to the Ass Blasters, we don’t have the rights to Tremors 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. Stampede has no intention of doing a remake of the first film. They’ll likely try to make a sequel set in Perfection, Nevada, with the remaining cast and crew and another Graboid threat. Marc Toberoff would love for them to take a Prey-style approach to a movie sequel. Stampede doesn’t have overseas distribution rights, so they have yet to come to the table for negotiations with Universal about sales outside of America.

What this means for the future of tremors

There’s a complicated creative path ahead

For those who have stuck with the horror franchise since the 1990 original, Wilson’s announcement to regain the rights to Tremors will certainly come as a welcome announcement. While none of the sequels to the original film that had Wilson and Maddock’s involvement were necessarily well-received, those without them fared even worse. Check out how the different Tremors Films compared on Rotten Tomatoes with critics and audiences in the chart below:

Considering that viewership scores were higher with them than without them, the return of Wilson and his team could certainly get the franchise back on track. But, as he noted above, the way to make a new Tremors film will not be the smoothest path for the group. The rights situation is arguably the biggest, with the fact that Stampede Entertainment doesn’t have the rights to any of the sequels, making it unclear how they would develop a new installment.

In addition to Wilson’s mention of a Preyfranchise-style sequel, one of the most likely options for a new Tremors the film would be a legacy sequel to the original. In addition to the canceled TV show for which he returned to film the pilot, Bacon has frequently expressed his desire to return for another film. While Ward’s death in 2022 means another Val and Earl adventure won’t happen, the film could still follow a similar path to 2018’s. Halloween or 2021 sweet man ignoring the previous films and setting up a direct sequel.

Our opinion on the future of the Tremors franchise

It’s time for a nostalgic return to basics

Although it seems unlikely that another Tremors movie will happen immediately just because Wilson and his team reacquired the rights to the original, their enthusiasm gives me hope for the future of the franchise. A return to basics would be a refreshing change of pace after the last few installments tried to go to bigger, new locales, but Perfection’s isolated Nevada setting is part of what made the original tense and chilling. If they not only go back there, but also convince Bacon to return, Wilson and his team could have the best Tremors from the first in your hands.

Source: JoBlo