James Franco released a statement Wednesday disavowing any connection to ‘Spring Breakers 2’ and announcing, “It will be a terrible film.”

Spring Breakers: The Second Coming

On May 8, it was announced that Muse Productions and Wild Bunch, the studios behind Spring Breakers, was producing a semi-sequel, Spring Breakers: The Second Coming. Swedish director Jonas Akerlund is signed on to direct a script written by Irvine Welsh, who wrote the novel on which Trainspotting was based on. On IMDB, the film is listed as a comedy, and EW reports that the film will follow a new group of friends who go up against “militant Christian sects attempting to convert them.”

“It’s not a direct sequel, although there are allusions to some of the characters in the original,” said Vincent Maraval, co-chief of Wild Bunch.

The film is clearly a departure from Spring Breakers, which was written and directed by indie director Harmony Korine, and painted a complex picture of the cultural reverence for excess.

James Franco Statement On Spring Breakers 2

And Spring Breakers star Franco is not pleased by the news of a possible pseudo-sequel. After rumors that members of the original cast would be reprising their roles in Spring Breakers: The Second Coming started gaining traction, Franco took to Instagram to declare that he will not be taking part in the film.

“STATEMENT ABOUT SPRING BREAKERS 2: This is not being done with Harmony Korine or my consent. The original was wholly Harmony’s creation and these producers are capitalizing on that innovative film to make money on a weak sequel,” wrote Franco.

Franco continued, saying that Spring Breakers: The Second Coming will be a horrible film and compared it to making a sequel to Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver without his consent, or the consent of the film’s star Robert De Niro.

“I want everyone to know that whoever is involved in the sequel is jumping on board a poison ship. It will be a terrible film, with a horrible raison d’être: to make money off someone else’s creativity. Can you imagine someone making the sequel to Taxi Driver without Scorcese and De Niro’s consents? Insanity,” Franco wrote.

Franco did not act as a producer on the film, nor is he credited as any part of the creative team other than as an actor, so the filmmakers would not technically have to consent him before repurposing his character or the Spring Breakers name. However, he finished by saying that he was speaking out against the film to defend Korine and his reputation as an artist.

“I’m speaking up for Harmony and his original vision and for any creative person who cares about preserving artistic integrity,” Franco concluded.

Rachel Korine, Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens, who starred in Spring Breakers with Franco have all remained silent on the issue, though it is doubtful that they would return for a second film without the original director, with whom it appears they remain close. Gomez recently posted a photo on Instagram with Korine while attending his new art exhibit.

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Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.