In a move that would seem to scream heresy to those who worship at the altar of Hollywood, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel director John Madden has effectively killed talk of a third installment, despite the financial success of the first two films.
“I would douse any expectations of [a third film] right now,” Madden is quoted as saying by The Sydney Confidential column of the Daily Telegraph. Madden explained that directing The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was in of itself a total shock and that the advanced age of many of the films’ core cast members would make any third installment even more troublesome.
“Both Judi [Dench] and Maggie [Smith] are aged over 80 now and many of the others are not that far behind and it is a tough place,” said Madden. “You’re dealing with tremendous heat, a lot of chaos and noise, and things that are difficult to control. These are things we had to take seriously because there’s a fragility we didn’t take lightly and I heaved an enormous sigh of relief when we finished the second one that nobody had fallen ill or been injured.”
The first two films have done terrific business at the box office, pulling in a combined total of $221 million, but Madden doesn’t see that financial bottom line as any form of validation for a threequel. Instead, he said:
“Some people mention the franchise word as if it is in some way infinitely extendible and that makes me uncomfortable because a sequel is a word I tend not to use as it seems to suggest you’re making the same film again.”
Given that The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel drew some criticism for exactly that reason, it makes perfect sense Madden wouldn’t want to play around with drawing the series out any longer. And everyone who’s sick of franchises long outstaying their welcomes should thank him for it.