The already highly anticipated sequel to the 2012 cult classic ‘Spring Breakers’ has now been confirmed as directed by Bella Thorne. The actress, who also appears as a director for the upcoming project, confirmed in a recent appearance on the ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast that she is also writing the new project, and it’s her biggest project as a director since her debut film. As has happened in Hollywood for the past few months, there’s been a lot of chatter about a sequel to a movie that did something weird and funky in pop culture history, but Thorne’s news about her being in charge has moved the discussion for the film into a different direction.
In 2012 ‘Spring Breakers’ arrived as a hallucinatory fever dream and brought about a subversion of what a spring break movie could be, in the wake of the original ‘Spring Breakers,’ which was directed by Harmony Korine. With a career-defining performance by James Franco, and starring Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, and Rachel Korine, the movie was billed as a wild party adventure but proved to be much more disturbing and artistic. It became a cultural icon, shredded in film studies classes, memes, and beyond, and cherished for its hypnotic repetition of Franco’s “Spring break forever” slogan and its sun-drenched yet distinctly cynical depiction of American youth. Ten years on, Thorne is faced with the huge challenge of returning to that world and creating something entirely new!
When it came to the podcast interview, Thorne was unable to contain the excitement and enthusiastically made it clear that this sequel was not going to be a do-over of its predecessor. Writing and directing Spring Breakers 2, she said, “Spring break forever, b****, let’s go! She said that she was able to make a natural progression to the director’s chair. After seeing a rough cut of the film ‘Color Your Hurt’ she directed, producers apparently liked her so much that they came to her and asked her to present a concept for the sequel. Thorne said she was asked by them to write something to find out if they liked it—and they liked it, and it’s because of the creative approach of their writing; it wasn’t because of the name value.
Thorne has been a year-long process to becoming a director. Back when she was a child actor on Disney Channel’s ‘Shake It Up’ with Zendaya, she was a big time focal point, but the last ten years she has worked very hard to break away from that reputation by taking on more edgy roles and expressing her creative side behind the scenes. She has helmed a number of short films and music videos, and worked hard to develop her skills in a medium that has received scant attention in the midst of her media fame. Her debut feature as a director, ‘Color Your Hurt,’ proved to be a success, showcasing her ability to navigate intricate emotional terrain. Thorne’s sensibilities as a filmmaker are going where the ‘Spring Breakers 2’ producers saw something in that film, and it’s an energy that is wild and chaotic, like the ‘Spring Breakers’ franchise.
There is one of the most interesting parts of Thorne’s involvement, however, and that is that she says she will be working with the “original team” from the first movie, but without being specific as to who will be involved, which is typical of Thorne. During the interview, she joked about not having any trouble, and fans have been speculating about whether or not some of the original stars will make a comeback. Since the original cast has all gone on to pursue a range of different careers, from Gomez’s pop career and acting success to Hudgens’ motherhood and mainstream career, the logistics of a reunion aren’t certain. Thorne did say, however, that Ariel Martin, Grace Van Dien and True Whitaker have already secured roles in the show, suggesting that the piece will feature a whole new cast that will hopefully embody the original’s spirit.
The most telling moment in Thorne’s interview came when she explained how the sequel would be different from the original, stating it was made at a different time than the current time. “2012, when the movie came out, was an exploitative time, and everybody was going through it. I, Miley [Cyrus], Zendaya, Selena, was all [cited as] the next bad girl and that’s what was happening, too, and this time things are different.” Thorne’s observation of the media landscape of early 2010s is astute and self-aware; it talks of the tabloid-driven “young female star wars,” and it’s aware of how those trends defined the time of the original film.
Her remarks on the tone of the sequel indicate that it will not be as cynical as Korine’s original vision—which was a very dark one—will be. They’re crazy, there’s a lot of crazy, there’s a lot of litness. It’s got a lot of attitude in this movie,” Thorne teased, as if in the vernacular of the current generation, to indicate that this sequel is trying to have a very ‘now’ vibe. The project is about entertainment and enjoyment, it’s not about the disturbing undertones of the first movie,” she added. “We are having fun. If you wanted to go to the theatre and have fun, you’re going to have fun with this movie, that’s for sure. It’s balls to the wall. That’s what everyone says when they read the script: Balls to the wall.”
