So this one hit me by surprise. I consider myself to be a fan of the 2010 Stake Land, but I never would have pegged it as “sequel material”. Apparently I was wrong, as Dark Sky Films and Glass Eye Pix have now announced that production on STAKELANDER has wrapped.
Nick Damici and Connor Paolo will reprise their roles as Mister and Martin, and the team of Dan Berk and Robert Olson (BODY) join forces once again to direct. It all sounds pretty cool, but there’s one caveat–it’s debuting on the Syfy Channel as a Syfy Original. I’m confident that Dark Sky and Glass Eye Pix wouldn’t have moved forward on the project if it wasn’t worth partnering with Syfy, but it does force me to raise an eyebrow. I’ll suppose we’ll have to wait and see.
For now, check out the official announcement below:
Dark Sky Films, Glass Eye Pix and Syfy today announced the completion of production on THE STAKELANDER, the eagerly anticipated follow-up to the acclaimed action horror hit Stake Land. The film, based on an original screenplay by Nick Damici, wrapped shooting in Saskatchewan this past week. Damici and co-star Connor Paolo reprise their Stake Land roles in the new film, which was directed by the team of Dan Berk and Robert Olsen of Last Pictures, creators of the 2015 thriller Body.
Damici, co-writer and star of We Are What We Are and Cold in July, returns in the role of Mister and Connor Paolo (Mystic River, TV’s Revenge) is back as Martin in a new adventure set a few years after the events in Stake Land, in which mankind must struggle to survive in the wake of a vampire apocalypse. Also starring are Laura Abramsen (Basic Human Needs), AC Peterson (Shooter), Bonnie Dennison (Beneath), Kristina Hughes (Green River) and Steven Williams (TV’s Supernatural).THE STAKELANDER was produced by Peter Phok and Larry Fessenden of Glass Eye Pix, Greg Newman of Dark Sky Films and co-produced by the Syfy Channel, where the film will premiere as a Syfy Original, as well as Mark Montague of Berkserker Entertainment. Chadd Harbold of Last Pictures supported as Associate Producer. The film marks the latest collaboration between Dark Sky Films and Glass Eye Pix, the production teams that have brought audiences countless successful elevated genre films: Stake Land, The House of the Devil, The Innkeepers and Late Phases, among others.
When his home of New Eden is destroyed by a revitalized Brotherhood and its new Vamp leader, Martin finds himself alone in the badlands of America with only the distant memory of his mentor and legendary vampire hunter, Mister, to guide him. Roaming the wilderness of a steadily decaying country, Martin goes in search of the one man who can help him get revenge. Once reunited, Mister and Martin prepare to battle a now-ravenous Brotherhood and its monstrous overlord. But it’ll take more than the two of them to take down this terrifying new threat, and with more than just their lives now at risk, the stakes are higher than ever before.
Producer Greg Newman said: “Jim Mickle’s Stake Land has long been an audience favorite. The film was embraced by fans across the world and we are thrilled to see Nick Damici reprise his role of Mister, the master Vamp hunter.”
Producer Peter Phok said: “It has been so rewarding to bring such energetic and intelligent talents in Dan and Robert to further the story of Martin and Mister in the world of
Stake Land. Filming this world in Saskatchewan, offered a multitude of breathtaking vast landscapes along with tremendous resources provided through Creative Saskatchewan and the providences’ local union crew who were affable, professional, and incredibly hard working. We also found a number of strong local performers, who we are proud to have cast into
The Stakelander.”Dark Sky Films, the genre division of MPI Media Group, has seen success over the past year with such acclaimed productions as We Are Still Here, Deathgasm, Southbound, and the recently announced Mohawk.
Glass Eye Pix (“one of the indie scene’s most productive and longest-running companies” -Filmmaker Magazine) is the fierce independent NYC-based production outfit headed by award-winning art-horror auteur Larry Fessenden (Habit, Wendigo, and The Last Winter) with the mission of supporting individual voices in the arts. Responsible for numerous independent productions in and out of the horror genre including Kelly Reichardt’s
Wendy and Lucy, Rick Alverson’s The Comedy, Ti West’s The House of the Devil and Mickey Keating’s Darling.
