Don't Expect a 'Shaun of the Dead' Sequel, Says Edgar Wright

Don’t Expect a ‘Shaun of the Dead’ Sequel, Says Edgar Wright

Zombies often rise from the dead, but that won’t be the case with Shaun of the Dead. Celebrating its 20th anniversary last year, Edgar Wright’s cult classic has no plans for a follow-up. During promotions for his new film The Running Man, Wright told Polygon he and longtime collaborator Simon Pegg don’t feel there’s more story to tell.

“Shaun goes from being a kind of sad sack to being a hero by the end of the movie. So it’s very difficult to start the next movie when there’s no obvious arc.”

Wright explained that many sequels fail because the original film already covers the essential story, leaving little room for a meaningful continuation.

His work generally avoids sequels except for the loosely connected Cornetto trilogy and, to some extent, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. Meanwhile, the zombie genre itself has embraced sequels and spin-offs extensively. For example:

The Walking Dead has spawned numerous spin-offs and sequel series.
Zombieland, often compared to Shaun of the Dead, expanded into a mini-franchise with a sequel film in 2019 and a TV spin-off.

Additionally, the trend of surprise sequels appearing decades later, especially from companies like Disney, has become more common, but Shaun of the Dead is not among them.

Author’s Summary

Edgar Wright confirms no plans for a Shaun of the Dead sequel, citing a complete story and lack of new narrative arcs despite the rising trends in zombie franchises.

Gizmodo — 2025-11-02

Don’t Expect a ‘Shaun of the Dead’ Sequel, Says Edgar Wright

Author’s Summary

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