‘The Souvenir’ Sequel Loses The Very Busy Robert Pattinson
By Chris Evangelista/June 11, 2019 2:00 pm EST
For the past few years, Robert Pattinson has been devoting all of his time to indie projects while eschewing blockbusters. Now, it looks like the tables have turned. Since Pattinson is so damn busy with the new Christopher Nolan movie, and then the new Batman movie, he’s dropping out of Joanna Hogg’s Souvenir sequel, according to IndieWire.
The Souvenir is an extremely slow-burning drama starring Honor Swinton Byrne as a young woman in a bumpy relationship with a troubled young man (Tom Burke). I saw the film at Sundance, and thought it was magnificent – although I imagine the movie’s deliberate pacing will turn some casual viewers off. You have to really commit to the story Hogg is telling. As I said in my review:
A Souvenir sequel was already planned by the time the film premiered at Sundance, and A24, who distributed the first film, will distribute the follow-up as well. While details of Pattinson’s role in the sequel were a bit vague, the common assumption was that the actor would play a new love interest for Honor Swinton Byrne’s character, which would’ve made him the second lead in the film. And that’s apparently just too much work for Pattinson’s current schedule. It’s understandable, but a bit of a bummer – he likely would’ve brought something strong to the sequel. Regarding the sequel, director Joanna Hogg clarified that the movie will stand on its own and be accessible even if you haven’t seen the first Souvenir (even though you really should). “It’s another film. It’s another film and it should stand on its own, not just as a two-part thing,” the filmmaker said.
There’s no release date set yet for the Souvenir sequel, but Tenet will arrive July 17, 2020, while the Pattinson-lead The Batman spreads its wings and flies on June 25, 2021.
