Director Timur Bekmambetov Still Plans On Making DUSK WATCH

It was over ten years ago that genre fans were introduced to the work of Russian director Timur Bekmambetov through the movie Night Watch. Adapted from a novel by Sergey Lukyanenko, the film told the story of the men who patrol and maintain the truce between the good and evil supernatural beings who live secretly among the rest of us normal humans. But it was Bekmambetov stylistic visuals that helped propel the film and it’s sequel Day Watch into

Hollywood beckoned and Bekmambetov found himself behind the camera on such films as Wanted, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and most recently MGM’s remake of Ben-Hur due in theaters later this year.

But what of the proposed third film in what would have been a trilogy, Dusk Watch?

Speaking with SlashFilm while doing the promotion for the upcoming action flick Hardcore Henry, which he produced, Bekmambetov stated that he still would like to get to Dusk Watch, and that while there are no current concrete plans, the current climate is well suited for the project.

I think it will happen, for sure. The mythology is so smart: good and evil made a deal around the world together. It’s how we live today. I mean, an election is happening [laughs], whether it’s happening in the U.S. or Russia, it looks like Night Watch. Night Watch was great, because it was a very serious movie. It was dressed as entertainment, but underneath it’s a very serious question about moral choices we make everyday — and the freedom to make those choices everyday. The whole idea of Night Watch was good and evil, but you should be free to make your choice every time. It’s an honor to have the freedom to make those choices, and it’s what makes us human beings. You can pick the right side or you can pick the wrong side. The freedom to make that choice makes our lives interesting and meaningful.

And of course, Bekmambetov is not the only one anxious to see the sequel made. He states that he gets asked about it often by fans, and sometimes in the most unlikeliest of places.

I was on an aircraft carrier four years ago for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. It was in the middle in the Persian Gulf, with about 5,000 people sitting in the hanger, between airplanes in front of the [big] screen. We screened the movie for them. After we finished, the General said, “Now, we can ask the director of the movie some questions.” The first guy that stood up said, “When will we see Dusk Watch?” [Laughs] It was an interesting twist.

Personally, I would hold a third Night Watch film just below a third Hellboy film on a list of projects that I hope will come to fruition someday soon. We’ll keep watching for news of Dusk Watch.