Comic writer working on two Road to Perdition sequels

Word of mouth for Revolutionary Road is pretty hot right now, not to mention interest surrounding what else Sam Mendes may be up to in the future. But strangely enough, that's not the only of his works that's getting some notice from the studios. EMO Films announced that it will be expanding his Road to Perdition into a trilogy, with the writer for Perdition's comic book Max Allan Collins (which it was adapted from) on board as director.

Road to Perdition was successful in the box office, but has become forgotten as the years have gone by. Mendes' adaptation was a far cry from his previous venture, American Beauty, and critics reacted divisively to its cold tone and stylized revision of the mob film. Still, since then it's begun a slow critical re-evaluation, revealing Kubrickian depths beneath its surface.

The follow-up will be titled Road to Purgatory, tracing the story of how the child from the previous film deals with his father's death. As well as his duties as director, Collins will also be writing the film's screenplay. The movie will be followed by Road to Paradise, the details of which are still basically unreleased. Purgatory isn't Collins' first attempt at directing, but his works so far have included low-budget horror movies and a made-for-TV book adaptation. 

No release date is set, but it will probably be a while since there's no casting or shooting announcement, and simply a notice online that pre-production will begin this March. And while Collins' contribution to Perdition was obviously significant, it's important to stress that these will likely be very different films from their predecessor. EMO Films almost certainly can't offer a budget in the league of $80 million the original spent, nor will it have Tom Hanks as the lead or feature the incredible visual paring of Mendes and cinematographer Conrad Hall. But that's no reason to suspect it won't be worth watching.

Related links:
News: Watch the trailer for Revolutionary Road
News: Krasinski/Rudolph to star in Mendes/Eggers project
News:Sam Mendes is a Preacher man

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