Simon Pegg explains the reasons behind the unlikelihood of sequels to his and Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy, encompassing Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. The English actor starred in and co-wrote the complete trifecta of Edgar Wright’s Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy – comprising Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End. In Shaun of the Dead, Pegg assumes the role of the eponymous electronics salesman whose aimless existence is upended by the zombie apocalypse, and in Hot Fuzz, he embodies a police constable entrusted with unravelling a series of gruesome murders. Both films, characterised by their comedic essence, achieved critical acclaim and commercial success.
Audiences have persistently petitioned for sequels to Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, yet Pegg has firmly rebuffed such notions. In a conversation with Discussing Film preceding the SAG-AFTRA strike, the actor expounded on the rationale underpinning the unlikelihood of these sequels. While he acknowledges the flattering nature of these requests, the luminary asserts that rather than pursuing continuations of familiar cinematic ventures, it is imperative for audiences to be exposed to novel and thought-provoking concepts. Pegg provided the following explanation:
At the risk of disappointing people, we get a lot of requests to “sequalize” all three of those movies. I feel like it’s a lazy impulse for people to embrace familiarity and just accept the same thing again. I’m very flattered by it, and it’s never anything but edifying to be to have people say, “Oh, we would love to see more.” I get that! But what we really need is new stuff. We need new ideas. We need to be challenged. You know, my favourite of the Cornetto trilogy is The World’s End because it’s the least audience friendly. It’s the darkest of the three. It’s the most challenging, and I love the idea of actually putting the audience in a position where they have to feel a little bit uncomfortable and not necessarily cosy into the familiar. So whatever we do next, it’ll be difficult that’s for sure.