The Boondock Saints 3 will be returning with a new approach, it seems.
I’ve been closely following The Boondock Saints 3 for a while now because it is one of my favorite franchises in cinema. The cult classic followed up with yet another cult hit, and obviously a 3rd one could be as charming.
That’s why the “news” of The Boondock Saints 3 actually happening isn’t news at all. We’ve known about it for years. In fact the most recent news stated that it was set to start filming in May of last year, which obviously never happened. Before that I was covering Duffy writing a new script for the film in 2018, which he was reaching out to fans to talk about on social media. However news on the film dates all the way back to 2014.
So the movie has been in development for years, the real news here is that Duffy has left the project. It is unclear why exactly he isn’t part of the film anymore, but he did state that he will be writing several books / comics about the brothers adventures. He also seems to be staying as a producer as well.
Instead Thunder Road and Dragonfly will be producing the movie and seem to be taking it in a whole new direction. Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery are still attached to the film, and are said to be “training new recruits to take the mantle.” So basically a reboot in the franchise to hand it to a new generation. Makes sense, the actors are getting a little older, and nowhere near as young as the first film.
It’s an interesting twist on the franchise considering The Boondock Saints were created by Duffy though. The movies revolve around two Irish brothers that run into the Russian Mafia. This in turn makes them believe they are on a mission from God and become vigilantes, and along comes some interesting characters as cops.
The films were almost destined to be cult classics as Duffy struggled to ever get the first film sold to a studio. Eventually Miramax released it, and it didn’t do well until its DVD release. The 2nd film had similar fate. So twisting this into a big budget action movie is probably not the best route to take it, but I guess we will see.
As stated this is about the 3rd or 4th time production on 3 has basically restarted. There is once again no timeline for release, or production of the film. Norman and Sean have been attached to reprise their roles since at least 2021.
