'Mandy 2': Director Reveals His Idea For A Sequel That Probably Won't Happen

Panos Cosmatos's Mandy is what happens when an uncompromising filmmaker shoots a revenge thriller as a psychotic, neon nightmare. It's a jaw-dropping movie that operates on its own rhythm, unconcerned with convention or tradition and slowly unleashing more and more chaos on its protagonist, a revenge-seeking madman played by Nicolas Cage.Mandy is such a singular piece of work that it's hard to imagine what a sequel could be like, but in a new interview, Cosmatos reveals that he already has an idea for one – even if it's unlikely to ever happen.

I saw Mandy at a midnight screening at Sundance and was completely caught off guard by it, unprepared for the high-contrast insanity that unfolded in front of me. Spoilers for Mandy, but Nicolas Cage's character, Red Miller, gets revenge against the people who murdered the love of his life, survives a fight against otherworldly demons, and ends the movie riding off into a heavy metal sunset. What could a sequel possibly be like?

In an interview with Indiewire, Cosmatos explained his mentality when it comes to sequels and revealed that he has considered a potential story for Mandy 2:

"People have asked me about it. I don't know if I'm a sequels kind of person. I prefer each film to have its own unique identity. When I was writing the film, to amuse myself, I imagined a sequel that took place with Red Miller fighting Nazi punks in a bombed-out city. I don't know if that would ever happen, but it's a fun thought."

Okay, seeing Cage go off on some Nazis admittedly sounds appealing – especially now, when Nazis are no longer an evil force relegated to our past but are (somehow) contemporary villains again in 2018. To see Red Miller battle Nazi punks with his chainsaw and sharpened axe in Mandy 2 would carry with it an unexpected catharsis. But since Mandy is about much more than just Cage's character getting revenge, I'm not sure that a sequel would work. Andrea Riseborough's portrayal of Mandy, and her relationship to Red, is a huge part of why the film works, and though Red is probably a changed man after all of the violence he inflicts on his enemies, I think he'd need to experience another huge dose of pain to justify getting back into action. The guy has suffered enough. Let him live out the rest of his life in peace.

Mandy is not what I would call a "mainstream" movie, but it was a surprise hit when it first hit theaters. "I suspect that a portion of the audience was going into it as a novelty because of the Nicolas Cage aspect, but then connecting with it in an emotional way," Cosmatos said in that same interview. "It's exactly the kind of what I would have hoped to happen."

That's certainly the case for me, and I know a good portion of the /Film staff has had visceral reactions to the film as well. Jacob Hall wrote about how the movie's Cheddar Goblin scene may be one of the best cinematic moments of the year, Sid Adlakha wrote about how the movie is about the torturous reflection of the self, and Jack Giroux spoke with both Cosmatos and Cage and dove deep into the creation of this one-of-a-kind cinematic experience.

Mandy performed so well with its day-and-date release that its theatrical distributor has extended its run, so you may still be able to catch the film in a theater near you.