It doesn’t look like Neil Marshall will be able to make Dog Soldiers 2, so he’s turning his focus to The Werewolves of London
Director Neil Marshall made one of the all-time coolest werewolf movies with his 2002 film Dog Soldiers (watch it HERE), so it’s shocking that we’ve never gotten a sequel, especially considering we’re living in a world where An American Werewolf in Paris exists, and there have been eight Howling movies. A few years ago, Marshall said there was “more of a chance” of the sequel happening than ever before… but in a recent interview, he said he feared that Dog Soldiers 2 is dead in the water. Now, he has taken to social media to confirm that there’s little to no hope of Dog Soldiers 2 ever happening – so he’s going to make a different werewolf movie, The Werewolves of London, instead.
There have been rumors and premature announcements about a sequel to Dog Soldiers ever since the film made its debut in 2002. Oddly, for several years the plans for a sequel never seemed to involve Marshall, despite the fact that he had ideas for a trilogy. A screenplay for a sequel was written (not by Marshall), the project passed through the hands of directors Andy Armstrong, M.J. Bassett, and Rob Green, but the film – referred to as Dog Soldiers: Fresh Meat – never made it into production. Later, there was an attempt to make a web series called Dog Soldiers: Legacy. It didn’t pan out any better than Fresh Meat did. In 2020, the sequel talks finally circled back to Marshall… but then he had trouble getting a follow-up off the ground as well.
Marshall wrote on Instagram, “Since so many fans keep asking, I figured I couldn’t keep the disappointing news to myself any longer. Your unwavering loyalty deserves better. For the past 6 years myself and original UK producer of Dog Soldiers, Christopher Figg, have been working tirelessly to negotiate for the rights to make a sequel with the US Producer/rights holder David E. Allen and his company Dash. 6 years!! That’s as long as it took to write and make the first movie. Unfortunately these negotiations came to a sudden and unexpected halt when, earlier this year, we were due to finalize and sign the agreements and….they disappeared. Vanished. Cut off all communication. Refuse to answer emails or calls. Why, you ask. I don’t know why. That’s the point. We simply don’t know what happened or why, but the end result is that we don’t have the rights to make a sequel without this deal in place, thus rendering it effectively dead. I’m sorry. We tried. We really did. And in Chris Figg’s case spent a lot of money on legal fees doing so. We wanted this for you. For all the countless fans who’ve asked for it. But in the end, perhaps it’s just not meant to be. The original film was lightning in a bottle, and perhaps lightning doesn’t, and in some cases shouldn’t, strike twice. So there it is…“
Nineteen hours later, he revealed that he hopes to make a separate project called The Werewolves of London. “Since I dropped such a clanger last night, I thought I’d give fans a little moonlight at the end of the tunnel today… While I do not have the rights to make a Dog Soldiers sequel, there’s nothing to stop me making another werewolf movie…. Which is exactly what I intend to do. It’s early days and I’m not giving away any plot details just yet, the plan is to bring as many of the original team back for this as possible, and then all we need is the money to make it!“
Are you sad to hear that Dog Soldiers 2 is dead, but glad to hear that Marshall intends to make The Werewolves of London instead? Let us know by leaving a comment below.