The idea of what constitutes a film and what is actually a TV show is very clear, yet in recent years the definition has blurred a bit. You have people like David Lynch talking about “Twin Peaks: The Return” as a film, whereas there are film franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe which feels like a really, really expensive TV show that is released in theaters. And though it’s clear that Luca Guadagnino’s “We Are Who We Are” is called a TV series by HBO and its filmmaker, he doesn’t necessarily think of it as one.
READ MORE: 2020 Fall TV Preview: 45 Shows To Watch
Speaking to Variety, Guadagnino talked about “We Are Who We Are” and explained that he feels like it’s basically a film because of how he approached it, even though it is clearly split into episodes. And while he’s at it, he also talked about a highly-anticipated film sequel that people have been clamoring for.
“I feel like on the one hand that this is a new film of mine,” said Guadagnino about his HBO series that recently started its run. “ It feels like a movie to me, but I enjoyed the episodic-ness of the story. This is a series and it depends on how it clicks with an audience if we will see these people again. I have sort of a penchant for bringing back to life characters that I love. I truly love all the characters in this show. The greatness of doing TV is that if there’s a good outcome, this can come back, which would be beautiful to me.”
Clearly, Guadagnino isn’t afraid to do sequels. Though he doesn’t have one on his filmography just yet, he’s been hard at work on a sequel to “Call Me By Your Name” for years now, teasing that he’s oh-so-close to bringing it to the big screen. And in the new interview, he updated the status of the film, which is actually not a sequel, at all. It’s more of a “second chapter.”
“I call it a second chapter, a new chapter, a part two or something like that,” the filmmaker said about the ‘Call Me’ followup. “I love those characters. I love those actors. The legacy of the movie and its reception made me feel I should continue walking the path with everybody. I’ve come up with a story and hopefully, we will be able to put it on the page soon.”
At this point, we’ve been waiting years for “Call Me By Your Name 2” and it doesn’t appear that it’s on its way to theaters anytime soon. So, even though Guadagnino is clearly hoping to make it and has a story ready to go, we’re actually going to believe it’s happening when production begins, whenever that might be.
In the meantime, if you want to watch the filmmaker’s latest “film,” you can check out “We Are Who We Are,” which is still airing new episodes each week on HBO and HBO Max.