LATEST NEWS

Neveldine Says 'Crank 3' is Happening, Wants Idris Elba to Be In It

by Alex Billington
December 14, 2011
Source: Empire

I love this quote about these movies: "Crank, basically, you insert another quarter and you play the game again. It's kind of like what thrills me and Brian [Taylor], it's whatever we feel like doing there in the moment, whatever we wanna do, we just do and make it happen." On Empire they caught up with Mark Neveldine, one half of the crazy Neveldine/Taylor duo that's currently finishing Ghost Rider: A Spirit of Vengeance (trailer here), and asked him briefly about any plans they have for Crank 3. If you saw Crank: High Voltage, you would think that's the end, but no way, this is a series that can (and will) live on forever.

First things first, Neveldine was throwing around Idris Elba's name, because they've been impressed by him and apparently he kicks a lot of ass in Ghost Rider. "Just the way he moves with a gun, when he walks, it feels like an action scene." When asked if they're considering him for more, Mark said, "actually, we joking-but-not-quite-jokingly joked about that with Idris while we were over in Romania and Turkey. Just trying to figure out a way of getting him into Crank 3." Speaking of Crank 3, how the hell could they even revive and continue with Jason Statham back as Chev Chelios? Hasn't he died completely numerous times?

"That alone, we have 20 ways to tackle it. You know, with Crank, basically, you insert another quarter and you play the game again. It’s kind of like what thrills me and Brian, it’s whatever we feel like doing there in the moment, whatever we wanna do, we just do and make it happen. The important thing is what powers Chev. It was adrenaline that kept him alive in the first one, it was electricity in the second one, you know, it’s all about what will keep him alive in the third one. It’s just fun slinging those ideas around."

I'm sure it is, that's exactly what kept the Saw franchise alive (no pun intended) and is keeping the Final Destination franchise running. As insanely wacky as Crank: High Voltage was, I don't know how they can top that or make something entertaining (more like the first film) without making it too campy-ridiculous. Either way, Crank 3 is definitely happening, whether you like it or not. Mark reiterates: "By the way, Crank 3 is going to happen, the studios are really excited about it – it’s just all about timing." He adds, "We've been talking about the top 50 ideas we what to do for Crank 3, so we’re just trying to pair them down." Toss some Elba into the mix, maybe use something sci-fi to power Chev this time, I'm there opening night.

I realize that Crank isn't for everyone and only a few crazy action junkies who love Neveldine/Taylor's off-the-rails work are the biggest fans, but I'm one of them. I have no idea how they're going to bring back Chev again, but I'm up for seeing it, especially if there's crazy old Chinese villains like Poon Dong in High Voltage. Elba's involvement is obviously not set in stone yet, so from here we'll have to keep an eye out and see how this develops. In the meantime, I think it all depends on how well Ghost Rider 2 does in February.

Filed under Development, Movie News, Opinions

From around the web: