The sequel to the Finnish metal comedy Heavy Trip has been filmed and is set to be released in 2024.
In the sequel, written and directed by Juuso Laatio and Jukka Vidgren, the band Impaled Rektum is in a dire situation – in jail. Despite receiving an offer to perform at Germany's prestigious Wacken Open Air festival, they decline due to their unpreparedness and imprisonment. However, a family emergency arises, as the guitarist's father falls seriously ill, and their family home and slaughterhouse face demolition. It's time for Impaled Rektum to rise once more and make their escape.
The sequel was funded from a consortium of international sources, including Finland, Lithuania, Germany, Belgium, and Bulgaria. It was filmed with a slightly increased budget, which will be reflected in the production value, according to director Jukka Vidgren. However, the additional funds didn't stretch much further than the original movie's budget due to inflation.
Laatio says that this is a bigger movie than the first one, and that they were able to "squeeze the air out of the script pretty early" thanks to the experience of making the first film.
The sequel is set to feature music from Finnish occult rock band Year Of The Goat, who are writing the complete score for the film. Laatio says that he has been a big fan of Year Of The Goat for a long time, and that this is a personal project for him in many ways.
The original "Heavy Trip" movie was a satire about a metal band's efforts to land its first legitimate gig. In the flick, Impaled Rektum travels across Scandinavia in a stolen van with a corpse, a coffin, and a new drummer from a local mental hospital in tow. The road trip comedy includes a musical brotherhood, grave robbing, Viking heaven, and an armed conflict between Finland and Norway.
The sequel is set to be released in 2024, but no date for release or U.S. / North American distributor has yet been tapped.
"Heavy Trip" originally made its debut at SXSW in 2018 and subsequently graced select theaters in major cities, alongside various VOD platforms. The sequel has been in the works for five years, with Juuso and Jukka passionately writing the script and securing funding since the first film's completion.
