This Anthony Hopkins Thriller Almost Became Seven’s Sequel

Seven, like so many basic movies, isn’t precisely calling out for a sequel… however that’s by no means stopped a studio from giving it a shot anyway. There are few cinematic masterpieces that haven’t been adopted with rumblings of a possible successor, and whereas widespread sense typically prevails to depart their fame untarnished, others usually are not so fortunate. In this regard, Seven is a slightly distinctive instance given the way it suits each classes. The movie doesn’t have a sequel, however the script that was being thought-about as a follow-up did find yourself getting produced a few years later underneath the identify Solace.

Unfortunately, Solace‘s all-star solid couldn’t reserve it from poor evaluations and a fair poorer field workplace exhibiting, and at this time its reference to Seven is about the one factor stopping it from vanishing into obscurity. While any overt ties between the 2 movies had been eliminated by the point it was launched, the affect of David Fincher on its content material stays apparent, and watching it with the information of its background transforms Solace into an enchanting watch.

For a Brief Period, a ‘Seven’ Sequel Felt Inevitable

But first, a little bit backstory. Seven marked the sophomore directing effort for David Fincher following Alien 3, however crucially it additionally marked the primary time he wielded vital inventive management – a privilege he was eager to reap the benefits of. While the movie’s grim aesthetic and bleak ending was the topic of a lot criticism from the studio and critics alike, it proved to be a shock field workplace hit, grossing upwards of $300 million. Its success gave Fincher the breakthrough he’d been hoping for, and inside just a few years his place as one in every of his technology’s most defining filmmakers was indeniable.

Similarly, lead actors Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman additionally noticed their careers skyrocketing to new heights, solidifying their fame which had been rising for a while. All of those elements assured that Seven was by no means removed from the minds of cinephiles, and as one century gave approach to the following, its place as among the best thrillers ever made started to set in.

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With this in thoughts, it’s no shock that New Line Cinema floated across the thought of a sequel. However, slightly than rehiring Andrew Kevin Walker to pen a brand new story, the studio as a substitute turned to an unrelated script courtesy of up-and-coming writers Ted Griffin and Sean Bailey known as Solace. While Griffin and Bailey have been shortly transferring by means of the ranks of Hollywood after engaged on Ocean’s Eleven and cofounding the manufacturing firm LivePlanet, respectively, Solace was written in 1996 after they have been nonetheless only a pair of fresh-faced children making an attempt to interrupt large. The script was optioned by New Line in 2001, and whereas it is unclear if the studio determined earlier than or after this acquisition that it will make an excellent foundation for a Seven sequel, what’s sure is that it didn’t take lengthy for these rumors to start out edging their approach towards actuality.

On paper, retooling Solace as Seven 2 (or Ei8ht, a title that doesn’t scan wherever close to in addition to Se7en) didn’t appear too troublesome. Griffin has totally admitted that Seven influenced his script, and watching them facet by facet makes that fairly evident – each comply with an investigation right into a deranged serial killer who’s simply as clever as they’re insane, all instructed underneath a heavy palette of gothic-inspired visuals and philosophical dialogue regarding the nature of man.

Since Seven introduced the pursuit of its killer to a decisive conclusion – of its 4 lead characters, two are lifeless, one is in jail, and the opposite is retired – a direct continuation could be inconceivable, that means that Ei8ht would as a substitute take the type of a standalone sequel. The suggestion was to rewrite the character of FBI Agent Joe Merriwether (performed within the last movie by Jeffrey Dean Morgan) to allow the return of Freeman’s Detective William Somerset – virtually the one shiny spot in an in any other case nihilistic world. Freeman’s efficiency had been one of many few points of Seven to obtain unanimous reward from day one, and on condition that Somerset was the character greatest positioned for future appearances, it made sense to construction Ei8ht round him.

Connecting ‘Solace’ & ‘Seven’ Was Hard Because of the Supernatural Elements

However, there was one main stumbling block that might make connecting Solace to Seven troublesome – its supernatural components. Solace’s essential character is a psychic physician whose capacity to see snapshots of the longer term proves invaluable within the pursuit of the killer, particularly when it transpires that he too has comparable powers. This isn’t merely a light-weight sprinkling of sci-fi that might be simply dusted away if wanted, however a vital a part of the narrative that might require substantial rewrites to erase. This juxtaposition between the true and the fantastical offers Solace the vibe of one of many extra lowkey episodes of The X-Files the place a touch of the paranormal was used to raise an in any other case routine police procedural narrative. This works high quality when viewing Solace as a standalone movie, however when making an attempt to retroactively join it with an present property (particularly one as grounded as Seven), it creates points galore.

Seven is much from essentially the most life like movie ever made – its stylized world that appears to exist exterior of any particular location or time is the right indicator of that – but it surely at all times maintained a degree of believability that made its oppressive content material a lot extra terrifying. By distinction, the supernatural exists at the exact opposite finish of credibility, and it’s onerous to see how such an outrageous idea might be launched to this franchise with out irreparably damaging the belief between a movie and its viewers that dictates that every part they see will adhere to an inner ruleset. Thankfully Griffin has denied the longstanding rumor that Somerset was speculated to develop psychic skills (a suggestion so horrible it will have doomed Ei8ht earlier than it had even left the beginning gate), however that also feels akin to fixing a leak on an already sunk ship.

Not that any of this mattered, as a result of it quickly grew to become obvious that Ei8ht was a doomed undertaking. Freeman made it clear he had no curiosity, and reportedly was talked out of a possible assembly with New Line by the movie’s most passionate critic, David Fincher (who later stated that he would slightly “hav[e] cigarettes put out in my eyes” than be related to a sequel). Given that Ei8ht had failed to realize the backing of its meant star or its predecessor’s director, it was onerous to see the way it might proceed. Griffin exited the undertaking in early 2002, and the undertaking seems to have been canceled (assuming it was ever formally in manufacturing) shortly after. In the years that adopted, stories would often floor that Solace (again utilizing its unique script and identify) was nonetheless in improvement, however even after high-profile names like Paul Verhoeven and Bruce Willis grew to become connected, a completed movie would by no means seem.

‘Solace’ Premiered Sans Its ‘Seven’ Connection

It would have been straightforward to put in writing off Solace as simply one other unproduced screenplay destined to discover a place on the annual Black List earlier than disappearing perpetually, however to the shock of everybody it was ultimately produced. Films which have been gestating for therefore lengthy nearly at all times warrant a viewing (if just for curiosities sake), however the truth that it dropped into cinemas the identical day Rogue One and La La Land went into vast launch ought to say sufficient. Not that Solace is horrible, and even significantly dangerous – something that permits Anthony Hopkins to ham it up as the neatest man within the room while performing towards a comedically over-the-top Colin Farrell is bound to elicit some enjoyable – but it surely’s a movie that wears its influences so proudly you’re left questioning why you’re not watching them as a substitute. It didn’t assist that Fincher had spent the intervening years writing the rulebook on psychological thrillers, or that Zodiac’s author James Vanderbilt had contributed such uncredited materials to its script, rising Solace’s downside of feeling like a knockoff of different (higher) movies. For followers of the style, it’ll go two hours, however in any other case there’s little to advocate.

But how various things might have been. While we by no means did see how Detective Somerset would have responded to a different serial killer who thinks their violent campaign is definitely for the betterment of society, it’s attention-grabbing to contemplate how a lot this single addition would have essentially altered our whole notion of Solace. It will surely have been an eyebrow-raising addition that might have gotten individuals speaking (particularly if that they had gone all the best way and turned him right into a Final Destination protagonist), but it surely additionally would have been immensely damaging to each itself and its predecessor for the sake of elevating the field workplace worth of an in any other case unremarkable movie. Not every part wants a sequel, and it’s good to see that everybody concerned with Ei8ht collectively realized that earlier than issues went too far. If solely different studios might take the identical lesson.