It seems like an age since Trainspotting was released, and, to be fair, twenty years is quite a long time. The cult hit, directed by Danny Boyle, made stars of its cast; Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Robert Carlyle, and Johnny Lee Miller. Talk of a sequel has been rife ever since, and finally, it's been made. T2: Trainspotting, reunites the central four characters for yet more madcap adventures in Scotland, though this time they look slightly more weathered. Following on from a brief teaser, the first trailer for T2 has been released and can be viewed, above.
Based loosely on Irvine Welsh's follow up novel, Porno, T2 picks up with Renton when he returns to Edinburgh to reunite with Sick Boy. Begbie is newly released from prison, and still not happy, least of all with Sick Boy - and Spud? Well, Spud is still Spud. Previously-released photos from the sequel's production have shown a recreation of the now iconic 'Choose Life' opening scene, where Renton and Spud tear through the streets after shoplifting - and from the looks of things, they might be older, but they're not necessarily much wiser here. Still, would it really be Trainspotting if they had all turned into regular guys with sensible jobs and a steady income?
You can check out the poster for T2: Trainspotting, below:
The trailer gives a good hint of things to come in the Trainspotting sequel; which is basically more of what we had before. Still, that's by no means a bad thing. Trainspotting was a notable success the first time around because of its no-nonsense, gritty drama, mind-bending imaginative scenes and great humor. It created some now iconic cinematic moments and having McGregor recreate his "Choose Life" speech for the trailer, only much more updated, draws us immediately back into their world. The main four all seem to still share the same love/hate relationship that they always have, and Begbie still seems as dangerously unhinged as ever. As for Renton...he might tell Diane (Kelly MacDonald) that he doesn't do heroin anymore, but his friends are a powerful and bad influence. All in all, if fans weren't excited for T2 before, then they certainly are now.
T2 has a lot riding on it for fans of the original Trainspotting. McGregor has praised the script, written by Trainspotting script writer John Hodge, many times, and has also said that the cast all agreed not to return unless it was a film worth making. Everyone involved in the sequel knows how much this return means to fans of the original movie. Sure, it might not pull many new viewers in, but T2 will satisfy all of us who've been waiting to know how Renton, Begbie, Spud and Sick Boy turned out.
T2 opens in U.K. theaters on January 27th, 2017 and in U.S. theaters for a limited theatrical release on February 3rd, 2017, before it goes into wide release a week later.
Source: Sony Pictures
