14 DAY TRIAL // Talk of a sequel to the 1996 cult classic “Trainspotting,” which put both director Danny Boyle and actor Ewan McGregor on the map, has been around for too many years to count, to the point where even the most optimistic fans lost hope it would ever happen.
Boyle’s latest project is the “Steve Jobs” biopic with Michael Fassbender, which comes out later this year. While talking about it to The Hollywood Reporter, the Oscar-winning director dropped this bomb: “Trainspotting 2” is finally in the works, and he even managed to get the original cast together again.
Ewan McGregor, Johnny Lee Miller, Ewen Bremner and Robert Carlyle have all agreed to appear in the sequel, which will probably shoot early next year, for a late 2016 release.
Boyle explains that, if the announcement feels a bit rushed, it’s because it is. They basically had 2 options: either wait until everyone was free of their current contracts, which would have delayed the sequel for 3 more years, or try to put it together in this small window they all had, in early 2016. They obviously chose the latter.
The director also says that the budget is under $20 million (€17.9 million), which is the maximum amount you can get to still retain creative control over the outcome. He is aware they could have gotten more money but that would have meant losing the certainty that they will tell the story they want to tell.
With a script by John Hodge, the sequel will have been worth the wait. “Everyone’s attitude is that it’ll be an honorable addition and an interesting addition to the original film. We’re very positive that we believe it can happen and it’s coming true,” Boyle says.