Did anyone catch the medieval action picture “Ironclad?” We said it was “made of flimsy fabric,” but with a cast consisting of Paul Giamatti, James Purefoy, Brian Cox, Derek Jacobi, Kate Mara, Jason Flemyng, Jamie Foreman and Aneurin Barnard on board, how could it be all bad? Well apparently the production of helmer Jonathan English’s film was steeped in difficulties and lost talent like Bob Hoskins, Robert Carlyle, Pete Postlethwaite, Richard Attenborough, William Moseley, Colm Meaney and Angus McFayden along the way.
All that doesn’t matter much now that Variety is reporting that a sequel is in the works, entitled “Ironclad: Battle For Blood.” If that doesn’t already sound like the title of a late-career Jean Claude Van Damme film to you, than perhaps you’re a fan who may find solace in knowing that English and co-writer Steven McDool will pen the sequel, with Content securing the international rights to reap the benefits of the first film’s supposedly solid DVD sales internationally. The sequel follows one of the survivors of the Great Siege of Rochester Castle from the first film, who must now fight to protect his family from Celtic raiders.
The Variety article says nothing of the cast for the film, but we’d be willing to bet we won’t be seeing Giamatti, Cox, or anyone from the first outing back for this one. Production is set to begin in the summer, and the goal here seems to be to sell some more DVDs in the production's native U.K. – and internationally. So if you need some swords, knights, and bloodshed to pregame “Game of Thrones,” perhaps it’s time to get excited.