Unreleased 1983 horror film Grizzly II: The Revenge starring a young George Clooney, Laura Dern, and Charlie Sheen has finally been finished and is set for release almost 40 years later.
Unreleased 1983 horror film Grizzly II: The Revenge has finally been finished and is now set for release almost 40 years after it was originally filmed, featuring an all-star cast of George Clooney, Laura Dern, and Charlie Sheen.
The original film Grizzly, which follows a bloodthirsty 18-foot tall bear eating a whole lot of people, was the highest-grossing independent film of all time back in 1977.
Grizzly cashed in on the horror-theme trend of the time, taking a regular run-of-the-mill animal, tripling its size, and having it rip apart human after human in absolute carnage (something tells me one 25-foot shark would get along well with this murderous bear). Yet whilst Grizzly was a hit, the history surrounding the film is messy.
GRIZZLY was shot in Clayton, Georgia which I grew up not far from! The ending to this film is a riot. Salute and RIP William Girdler.
— justin (@kingvidi0t) September 3, 2020
Following the release, the film’s creative team had to sue co-producer and co-writer David Sheldon for their cut, producer Edward L. Montoro disappeared with more than $1 million of company money, and director William Girdler was killed in a helicopter crash just two years after its making. At this point, Grizzly II was still set for production, following the story of yet another killer bear eating a whole lot of people, but this time at a music festival.
A switch in directors, the price of those huge bear puppets, and having to hire close to 50,000 extras to fill out the festival, all apparently bled the film dry, with producer Joseph Proctor claiming that money had run out and getting on a plane just half an hour later. The Hungarian Government took possession of the mechanical bears and the film was left abandoned.
Now, almost 40 years later, producer Suzanne C.Nagy has revived the project with some additionally shot footage. With a young cast of Laura Dern playing Tina, George Clooney playing Ron, and Charlie Sheen playing Lance, the ’80s horror flick has been screening at festivals and is set for wide release before the end of this year.
This film shot in 1983 is just coming out now in 2020? What a time to be alive! 😱#Grizzly2 #GrizzlyII #GrizzlyIIrevenge @grizzly2moviehttps://t.co/a9xhpGAuhK
— Doppiaggi italioti📼 (@doppita) September 2, 2020
Watch the trailer below.
Update: according to the film’s website, Grizzly II is now due out for release “in select theaters and On Demand” from January 8, 2021.
