Sequel Bits: 'Orphan', 'Snake Eyes', 'Mission: Impossible', 'Borat', 'Killer Klowns From Outer Space', 'Encino Man'

In this edition of Sequel Bits:

Orphan: First Kill, the inexplicable prequel to Orphan that's somehow bringing back original star Isabelle Fuhrman, has a new cast member: Rossif Sutherland. Deadline broke the casting news but doesn't have any info on who Sutherland is playing. Orphan: First Kill once again focuses on "Leena Klammer, who orchestrates a brilliant escape from an Estonian psychiatric facility. She travels to America by impersonating the missing daughter of a wealthy family. But Leena's new life as 'Esther' comes with an unexpected wrinkle and pits her against a mother who will protect her family at any cost."Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is Hollywood's latest attempt to turn G.I. Joe into a film franchise. Henry Golding stars as the ninja character Snake Eyes, and Andrew Koji plays villain Storm Shadow. Speaking with Collider, Koji revealed he was hesitant to join the cast of the film because he didn't like the first two G.I. Joe movies. "I thought about playing that character [Storm Shadow] because I didn't like the first two films. I can say that. I'm allowed to not like a film," the actor said. But then he started thinking about ways to make the character more realistic. "I don't wanna play a character with a six-pack. I wanted him to be human and flawed; he's going through stuff. For me, when I saw the first G.I. Joe films, I was like, 'I don't wanna do that. That's not the kind of thing I wanna do,'" Koji said, adding:

"So, when I spoke with the director [Robert Schwentke] about that I said, 'If I'm gonna play him, I have to do my research into Japanese culture and embrace that.' There was an opportunity for me to do a performance in that kind of film for the next generation. My time in this business might end in a few years but a kid growing up might be able to watch that film and see a more realistic, grounded portrayal and feel like they can act and they can do this. Even if it's in ninja form, they can still bring their own humanity to it. So, it was quite a deep thing for me, just because I had a lot of reservations about it, at first, but then they allowed me to do that. I've gotta give credit to those guys but that was all because of the skill I got from Warrior."

I can't say I have much interest in Snake Eyes, but I do appreciate Koji actually taking his craft seriously and putting real thought into this sort of thing. Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is scheduled to hit theaters October 22, 2021.

Looks like Angela Bassett is ready to accept another Mission. Bassett played CIA Director Erika Sloane in Mission: Impossible – Fallout, and while speaking with Coming Soon, Bassett confirmed she'll be back for more. They're shooting both Mission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8 are shooting back-to-back, and it's not clear if Bassett is appearing in one or both of the films. But regarding her return, she said: "The real conversation is when, I think they've begun filming, or that was the plan, but you know in these trying times, the best laid plans of mice and men sometimes go awry. But I do have the pages, we'll just see when I get the ticket to fly and go do my part, but that's coming up and I'm really excited about it."

Borat 2, aka Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, got a lot of praise and a lot of buzz when it hit Amazon in October – but not everyone is happy. According to Variety, The Kazakh American Association is requesting the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Directors Guild of America Awards and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards bar the film from awards consideration for its "racist portrayal of Kazakhs." Here's an excerpt from the letter:

The Kazakh community worldwide is underrepresented and inherently vulnerable. Our nation is still recovering from an oppressive colonial past, which is why we do not have substantial media representation. Sacha Baron Cohen understands this fact and exploits Kazakhstan by hijacking our ethnic identity, whitewashing us by portraying us as Eastern Europeans, and inciting harassment toward Kazakh people worldwide. Our people report countless cases of sexual and physical harassment as well as bullying due to the Borat franchise.

The letter goes on to add that Borat creator Sacha Baron Cohen could've easily just invented a fictional place instead of using Kazakhstan, and honestly, they have a good point.

Over the years, the wonderfully goofy Killer Klowns From Outer Space has developed a strong cult following. And with that following came talk of a potential sequel. So will that ever happen? Maybe! Director Stephen Chiodo sure hopes so, at least. Speaking with Comicbook, Chiodo says that he still wants to make the movie, but he needs Killer Klowns fans to demand it:

"Look, MGM controls Killer Klowns. If [fans] write MGM and say, 'Where's our sequel? Where's that property?' There's so many ways they can exploit this thing. It's really the fan base. The fan base has to be more vocal to MGM more than us, because they control it. But I'm just so happy. That was a project that, we just wanted to make a film that we loved. Again, Forbidden Planet, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, all the films that we loved is thrown into that. And I'm really pleased that people responded to it."

So there you have it: start harassing the MGM brass to get this movie made! (Note: please don't do that; leave them alone.)

I try very hard to be fair with these sorts of stories, but no, I'm sorry, I just can't do it with this one. So I'm just going to say it: absolutely no one gives a fuck about Encino Man. Anyone who says they do is lying through their teeth. Anyway, Pauly Shore, who was one of the stars of the 1992 comedy about a Neanderthal who winds up in modern-day California, is saying he wants a sequel. Disney owns the flick, so Shore took to social media to suggest that Disney+ make a direct-to-streaming sequel. "Good o'l Encino Man, remember this classic?" Shore wrote on Instagram. "How many people want to see Encino Man 2?! Hit up Disney+ on social media and let them know Brendan, Sean, and myself are ready to go! Let's do this 2021." The implication there is that Shore has been talking with both co-stars Sean Astin and Brendan Fraser about a sequel, and both Astin and Fraser are on board with the idea. Could that be true? Maybe. But I doubt it. Let's stop this charade, shall we?