Pratik Handore
‘Benedetta’ is a French-language film directed by Paul Verhoeven and based on Judith C. Brown’s non-fiction book titled ‘Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy.’ The biographical drama tells the story of Benedetta Carlini, a young nun who begins to experience mystical visions and has a secret affair with a fellow nun at her convent.
The complex film tackles many themes through its sexually explicit and provocative narrative that highlights the delusions of faith and love. It leaves plenty of questions unanswered, which might make some viewers wonder whether there will be a follow-up that covers more of Benedetta’s story. For those curious viewers, here’s everything we know about the prospects of a ‘Benedetta’ sequel!
Benedetta Sequel Release Date
‘Benedetta’ was released on 3 December 2021 in the United States. The film held its world premiere at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival’s 2021 edition and competed for the Palme d’Or award. It was released in France on 9 July 2021. The film was initially slated to debut at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival but had to be postponed first due to the delays in post-production and later because of the Covid-19 pandemic’s effects on film and theater industries. It has received positive reviews from critics who have praised its grandiose and handling of sensitive themes.
However, fans who are hoping the film’s positive reception will translate to a sequel should not get their hopes very high. Director Paul Verhoeven is yet to express any intention of making a follow-up feature film. The themes of the film, such as sexual freedom and relationship with faith, are compelling enough to craft at least a spiritual sequel to the film. Although Verhoeven is a director who does not incline towards making sequels, his works such as ‘Starship Troopers‘ and ‘RoboCop’ went on to spawn successful film franchises without his involvement. Hence the same could be done for ‘Benedetta.’ However, there are more factors that suggest a sequel isn’t on the cards.
Biographical films rarely receive sequels, and the film’s box office performance will have to exceed all expectations to warrant a second installment. Even if that comes to passing, the likelihood of a sequel materializing is very less. The film is based on the life of Benedetta Carlini, as described in Judith C. Brown’s book. Although the film takes a few liberties in adapting the source material for the screen and has a bit of an open ending, that does not necessarily mean the makers intended to leave the door open for a sequel.
Brown’s book covers what is known of Benedetta’s life, as does the film. Therefore, even though Benedetta lived till she was 70-71 years old in real life, not much is known about her later years. Thus, the lack of source material to adapt is a hindrance to the plans of a sequel, if they exist on any level in the first place. Nonetheless, suppose by some divine intervention or miraculous effort, if a sequel is indeed commissioned in the coming months, production is likely to take place in the second half of 2022. Therefore, we could see a prospective ‘Benedetta 2’ release sometime in 2023, at the earliest.
Read More: Where Was Benedetta Filmed?
