Those who were there at ground zero when “Attack the Block” came out of nowhere in 2011 to smash us all in the face with its micro-budget thrills and incredibly sharp social commentary know better than anyone how one-of-a-kind the film truly was. Following a group of impoverished kids on the run from some of the most gnarly and creatively-realized monsters in any recent genre flick, the thriller certainly left its mark among fans who’ve desperately wanted to see more of that story. To some, a sequel over a decade removed from the original might seem like a fool’s errand to recreate that specific magic … but don’t tell that to Joe Cornish or John Boyega.
In a recent appearance on Fangoria’s The Kingcast podcast, the director reminisced about the unique circumstances of the original film’s release and offered up an update on the sequel:
“The nice thing about the first movie was, nobody was expecting it. Nobody knew who John [Boyega] was or who I was, certainly, outside of UK comedy circles. And we put a lot of work into the first one! Obviously, I can make stuff up about aliens quite easily, but the other stuff — the aspects of reality that we folded the fantasy into — we did a lot of research for, and so we are currently doing that same thing. We have a very detailed treatment and a storyline we’re very, very excited about — and when I say ‘we,’ I mean me and John Boyega, who [I’m co-producing the film with] and consulting very closely with — and we’re doing all the research to make sure we get it right.”