Donnie Darko director is considering expanding the movie’s universe

It’s been 20 years since cult classic Donnie Darko first hit theaters, but the film could make a comeback in the form of a sequel or spinoff. The original movie followed Jake Gyllenhall’s title character through the angst of high school — with the added weirdness of a human-sized rabbit warning him about the end of the world and some science-fiction timey-wimey stuff.

Donnie Darko leaves off on a note that seemingly brings the main character’s arc to a close, even with all of the confusion about whether the events of the film actually occurred. Director Richard Kelly may just provide further clarity. Apparently, he’s been considering expanding the film’s universe. And with so many streaming services and networks trying to build up their arsenals of content these days, there’s probably someone who would be interested in helping him.

Donnie Darko director wants to build on the story

Speaking with Rolling Stone, Kelly admitted he’s been toying with the concept of adding to Donnie Darko in some way:

"There’s so much information in Donnie Darko, I’ve been processing it for two decades. But I think really in the past five years or so, since Trump was elected, I’ve been really digging into it and working to see what the bigger world of the film could look like."

It’s unclear what role, if any, the 2016 election would play in an upcoming spinoff. However, political divides and other modern-day issues could certainly be used as fuel for the story of another angry teenager like Donnie — or prompt a second near-apocalyptic event.

Given Donnie’s fate — and the fact that Gyllenhall has long outgrown the role — whatever expansion of Donnie Darko Kelly comes up with will probably follow a new character. Still, it’s likely to tie into the first film’s storyline. Perhaps it’ll provide further insight into what went down 20 years ago.

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