How do we grow up from being 20 year old outsiders to being 40 year old outsiders and being husbands, parents, employees, voters; to arrogantly be saving the world for yet another generation?

That's what we will get to find out in the long awaited Sequel to SLC Punk! , Punk's dead which is set to be released in 2014

"I made SLC PUNK when I was a kid, and accordingly, the story is naive, and, as just a coming of age story, not finished. The characters are facing big questions, 18 years later, as outsiders, Punk rockers... What relevance do they have in a world where all statements have already been made? " James Merendino says.

The Sequel will be shooting later this year and is being produced independently, like SLC Punk.

"Putting together Independent Movies is a never ending siege, but when it does come together, there is nothing more satisfying." James Merendino adds. "In the years since I made SLC Punk, it has found a rather large and supportive following who have been very kind to me. So in making a sequel, I feel I owe it to those people to really do it right."

Punk's Dead will feature most of the original cast reprising their Cult roles and a few new faces.

Merendino says filming for PUNK'S DEAD should begin in a couple of months: "We are looking for an early May to mid June shoot. We have financing and we are casting and making sure everybody's schedule fits, including the bands for a rather large punk show scene."

On when he decided he wanted to make a sequel to SLC PUNK!: "It had always been on my mind. I am just not done telling the story of outsiders in SLC. It's a subject close to me heart."

SLC PUNK! was inspired by people James Merendino actually knew while living in Salt Lake City, but he says it's still fiction, and the same goes for PUNK'S DEAD: "It will be based on my experiences and influenced by stories I've heard, but as the first movie, it's fiction. But hopefully relatable to anybody. Also, the fans from the Facebook page have had a lot to say and I've been listening to them closely. They have greatly shaped the story."

So what have Stevo, Sean, Trish, Mike, Mark and the rest of the gang been up to for the past 18 years, and how will Heroin Bob return in PUNK'S DEAD? "I was first really interested in catching up with characters whose arcs were left unresolved. So I focus a bit on how life goes on with these people in the wake of Bob's death. Primarily Trish, who has a kid, Ross. She is left raising a child, as a single mother. And her support system are the guys who are all surrogate uncles to Ross. On another note, people keep asking how Bob can come back. Well, he's the narrator."

Merendino went on to share some more plot details on PUNK'S DEAD, and what story he'd like to tell with a third movie: "Ross and two friends are the primary focus of this movie. Ross lives under the long shadow cast by his dead father. He struggles with this and as the story unfolds as he tries to come to terms with the pressure of having to make up for the loss of this now legendary dead local figure. So, you could say, he's the lead. I'm sort of passing the torch. It's largely about how these new young outsiders in SLC behave and how the old crew from SLC Punk reacts to them, in their own, idiosyncratic way. I want to show a modern youth culture in this picture. At first I had intended to make a 'Punk' Mid-life crisis movie. And I still want to tell that story in a third movie...The story of what is happening to Stevo as he experiences the world outside of SLC. This is something I really want to do."

SLC PUNK! was filmed in a very kinetic style, and I wanted to know if PUNK'S DEAD will feel the same as the first movie: "I will shoot in my style. So I guess yes."

On what fans should expect for punk music featured in PUNK'S DEAD: They should expect as a similar soundtrack to SLC Punk. Different tunes, some newer tunes. All good. I haven't started licensing, so I don't know exactly. But I have an idea of what music I want to use."

On when he realized SLC PUNK! had such a huge following: "When I saw how many people joined the fan page. And how vocal and interactive and engaged they are. I was very surprised about how many people have related to SLC Punk. And the fact that 1500 of them contributed over $115,000 of the budget (through Indiegogo) to help us make Punk's Dead."

I had one very important final question for James Merendino: are rednecks still the mortal enemy? His response? "Always."

- See more at: http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/excl....rUpxRaZ1.dpuf