Did you know that one of the best sci-fi films of the last 25 years has a secret sequel? If you are one of those who were fascinated by “Dark City”, this is news that should delight you!
This year, Dark City, the science fiction film by Alex Proyas with William Hurt, Richard O’Brien, Jennifer Connelly, Rufus Sewell and Kiefer Sutherland, which beat Matrix but was not entitled to the same fame, celebrates its 25th anniversary. If the feature film was indeed a real commercial failure at the time of its release in 1998, it did not take long for it to become cult. But what many may not know is that it has a sequel released in 2021, also written and directed by Alex Proyas (I, Robot) and titled Mask of the Evil Apparition…
If this is the first time you’re hearing about it, it may be because its distribution, as an exclusive short for Vidiverse, has been extremely limited. Available on the streaming platform in question, this project located in the universe of Dark City lasts only 20 minutes and tells the story of Olivia, a young woman lost in a nocturnal and dreamlike city, who, with the help of her twin brothers with special psychic abilities, tries to find her way home while she is pursued by a dark cult known as the Mysterious.
DARK CITY IN SERIES?
Alex Proyas has realised Mask of the Evil Apparition in the greatest discretion, after the failure of his Gods of Egypt, without however having hidden that his main motivation was to transform Dark City in a television series.
Every time he had the opportunity, the director recalled that he was not entirely satisfied with his Dark City original, having had to make changes to the version released in theaters and then not being able to correct it as he wished in his director’s cut.
So, during a virtual question-and-answer session organized by the Popcorn Frights Film Festival, which presented Mask of the Evil Apparition in preview in 2021, the filmmaker announced an upcoming series.
I have to analyze again in order to construct a new story. I need to go back and refresh my memory on what we actually did and what I think worked and what I think didn’t work and re-evaluate my own film. It was also a very interesting experience that I had never had before.
Unfortunately, we haven’t had any news about the series Dark City since then.
While waiting to know if this project will one day come to fruition, Mask of the Evil Apparition is available for streaming on Vidiverse.