The awesome Finnish genre festival Night Visions took place last weekend, during which Empire grabbed the opportunity to quiz director Timo Vuorensola on his in-development Iron Sky sequel The Coming Race. What can we expect from the follow-up to a film about Nazis on the moon? "Adolf Hitler riding a dinosaur in the centre of the Earth!" laughs Timo. "That's an image to etch in your brain." Yes, it is.
If you're new here, Iron Sky is probably pretty much exactly what you'd expect a film about Moon Nazis starring Udo Kier to be, although the sort of **Strangelove **tonal shift later on comes as something of a surprise. Kier is back for the second part ("I made sure I didn't die in the first one," he told us), as is Julia Dietze. And while a return to the moon is on the cards, Vuorensola also promises a lot more this time.
"It's a bit more epic this time," he promises. "It starts three million years ago! It actually follows quite a well-known conspiracy theory, The Hollow Earth theory, which is connected to the Nazi UFO theory and the Nazi moon landing theory. It's a long and winding road, and we're taking different loops in it, because it's pretty funny and interesting stuff..."
Following an IndieGoGo campaign (see above) to finance initial script development and the production of a promo for Cannes next year, Vuorensola says the production is now "defining its elements". The promo should go before Timo's cameras early next year, with shooting of the actual film pencilled in for 2015, for a projected release the year after. Between then and now, the director also has the American-financed comic book adaptation Jeremiah Harm to contend with.
For more on Iron Sky: The Coming Race and Jeremiah Harm, head over to Empire's full interview - and also keep an eye on this site for a lot more from Kier.
UPDATE: And with Vuorensola now over doing deals at the American Film Market, there are already new developments. Iron Sky is apparently heading into full-blown franchise territory, with talk talk of another future sequel and a TV series. The Fuhrer will be on the moon for some time to come...