Summary
1980s action aficionados, rejoice… footage from the long-shelvedKung Fury 2has leaked, and the sizzle reel is suitably bonkers. Whether the film actually ever releases or not is another question entirely.
The firstaction-filledKung Furybecame one of the original successes of Kickstarter back in 2014, when writer/director David Sandberg raised over $600,000 to shoot a featurette based on a trailer he threw together with his friends for around $5,000. The resulting 30-ish minute featurette starring Sandberg, The Lonely Island’s Jorma Taccone, andDavid Hasselhoffin a cameo role was shot mostly in Sandberg’s Swedish office on green screen.Kung Furyswiftly turned into a cult hit thanks to a faithful aesthetic that mimicked 1980s action films and an over-the-top sensibility that thrives on the internet. A feature-length sequel was shot in 2019 with Sandberg, Taccone, and Hasselhoff reprising their roles in addition to Michael Fassbender, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Alexandra Shipp joining the cast.
Unfortunately forKung Furyfans, the sequel has languished in post-production hell as legal issues involving an investor have kept the film from seeing release nearly six years after it originally finished shooting. No real footage has even seen the light of day until a mysterious sizzle reel was uploaded on YouTube (and subsequently taken down due to a copyright strike).Varietyconfirmed with Sandberg that the footage is genuine, although he wasn’t exactly pleased that the sizzle reel was released.“This was an internal promo video that was never supposed to be seen by the public. I feel bad because it contains a bunch of plot points and temp VFX,”Sandberg said.“I hope at least people can see the passion that we poured into the movie, the world deserves to see it as it was meant to be seen. This movie has been held hostage for the past 5 years, but I promise to keep fighting for it and verify this film gets the chance it truly deserves.”
WillKung Fury 2Ever Get A Fully-Fledged Release As Was Originally Intended?
There is no way of telling when (or even if)Kung Fury 2will be shown to audiences. When financiers go to war via the legal system, things grind to a halt and—more often than not—films are put on the shelf for good. It is a genuine shame, as Sandberg was seemingly given the green light to do whatever he wanted with a sequel and brought people on board who shared in his unique vision for the project.
The (now-removed) sizzle reel featured a solid compilation ofSchwarzenegger’s United States president—complete with his own shotgun, of course—chewing on a cigar, Hasselhoff hanging out with puppies, and Fassbender rocking what can only be described as a majestic mullet. These are the kind of people Kung Fury needs if he is going to be able to take down Taccone’s Adolf Hitler (yes, you read that correctly). If fans are lucky, some kind of deal can be sorted out that would bringKung Fury 2to the masses, but until that happens, all we have is this leaked, unfinished footage. Dreamers keep on dreaming, right?
