‘Eastern Promises 2′ Not Happening

Mainstream cinema is currently driven by franchises, though sometimes it's questionable what should or shouldn't get a sequel. Surely Warner Brothers would drive a truck full of money up to Christopher Nolan's house if he did 'Inception 2,' but some stories are best left to one film only. David Cronenberg thought 'Eastern Promises' could make for a franchise, and word was out that a follow up was moving forward. Now Cronenberg says that the sequel is dead.

This comes from Playlist, who asked the director about the sequel during his press tour for 'Cosmopolis' and Cronenberg said "We were supposed to start shooting 'Eastern Promises 2' in October, [but] it's done... If you don't like it talk to James Schamus at Focus. It was his decision."

Though there's no denying Viggo Mortensen was excellent in the first film, and - for many of us - we'd watch just about anything Cronenberg has to offer, this never seemed like a great idea. Nor was there the fanbase (it seems) to demand a second film; it's not like 'Promises' inspired a movement like the Browncoats, nor - to our knowledge - has their been any naked wrestling done in its honor. That said, there were interesting places to go in the sequel that could have been more interesting than what happened in the first film.