This year’s horror sensation Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey is getting a sequel, and director Rhys Waterfield has wasted precisely no time in getting the follow-up in the can. The second installment in this budding franchise, which turns the beloved honey-loving bear and his pals into murderous, bloodthirsty killers, has already been filmed and is due to arrive early next year. Now, Waterfield has spilled some details on what audiences can expect. In short, more blood and more production value.
Speaking with Variety, Waterfield explained that they have massively stepped up the violence in “Blood and Honey 2.” They are currently in post-production on the film and, according to the director, there are more than 30 deaths in the film, which is roughly three times what they crammed into the first installment. Here’s what he had to say about it:
“In comparison to the first film everything’s stepped up massively. It’s a horror film. A lot of the times people are going there for the death scenes and for those elements and we’ve really upped the ante. I think the last time I did a count there was over 30 deaths in the movie, which is quite substantial compared to most movies. I think that’s at least over three times what the first film had and there’s various massacres and stuff. So there’s a lot of blood and a lot of gore.”
The first movie was made possible by Winnie the Pooh entering the public domain. Waterfield and Jagged Edge Productions made the film on a shoestring budget of less than $100,000. It became a viral sensation, taking in more than $5 million at the box office, not to mention what it made on VOD and streaming. As one might expect, that means Waterfield got a lot more money to make his sequel. We’re talking ten times as much. “It’s magnitudes higher compared to what it was on the first film. It’s over 10 times what it was,” Waterfield explained. That would put it around $1 million, which is still low-budget by Hollywood standards.
The cast includes Simon Callow (Four Weddings and a Funeral), Tallulah Evans (Son of Rambow), Scott Chambers (Doctor Jekyll, Malpractice) as Christopher Robin, Ryan Oliva (Seasoning House) as Winnie-the-Pooh and Peter DeSouza-Feighoney (The Pope’s Exorcist) as Young Winnie-the-Pooh. Matt Leslie (Summer of 84) penned the screenplay. Additionally, Pooh’s pal Tigger will be able to appear this time, as he’s entering the public domain early next year before the sequel arrives.
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 is currently expected to arrive on February 14, 2024.
