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Tomorrow, When the War Began sequel remains in development

The sequel to the highest-grossing local film of 2010, Tomorrow, When the War Began, remains in development, according to Omnilab Media managing director Christopher Mapp. 

The teen action-thriller was a huge hit in Australia – grossing more than $13.5 million – but underperformed in the United Kingdom and other territories, which dented the sequel’s prospects. It will finally be released in the US from February 24 via a multi-platform release strategy which includes a limited theatrical run.

Omnilab boss Christopher Mapp told IF magazine late last year that the company remains committed to the project, which is back in development after writer-director Stuart Beattie signed on to helm I, Frankenstein. The official Tomorrow, When the War Began Facebook page later confirmed that filmmaker Kieran Darcy-Smith is developing the script.

“We’re still spending good money in development – we’ve got another version of the script that’s well and truly on foot and we obviously lost some time when we lost Stuart to I, Frankenstein. We’re really congratulatory and wish him well that he’s gone to I, Frankenstein but the reality is that that put a bit of a hole in our development and we had to go back to the drawing board.

“At the same time we’re also looking at our TV options after the film, so a lot of energy and expense and time goes into developing these properties to make sure they’re right because if you green-light them too early you’re only going to leave some money on the table.”

Darcy-Smith's debut feature, Wish You Were Here, was recently shown at the Sundance Film Festival. It will be released in Australia in April.

Tomorrow 2 was originally scheduled to shoot in September, 2011 around New South Wales' Hunter Valley and Blue Mountains. More than 300 cast and crew were set to be employed during principal photography, as well as hundreds of extras and about 150 post production and VFX crew, according to the NSW government.

However, Beattie then accepted the writer-director role on I, Frankenstein, which is now due to begin filming in Melbourne around March-April.

Contact this reporter at bswift@www.if.com.au or on Twitter at @bcswift.

  1. I watched Tomorrow When The War Began for the first time a couple of days ago and it was amazing. The story-line was incredible and the characters rocked. All throughout the movie, it was exciting, mysterious and adventures which made me never want to change the channel. The ending was left a mystery of what happens next which makes me want more. So please make the next movie. The suspense is killing me.

  2. I’m in USA just watched Tomorrow When the War Began on Netflix. I was very impressed. My fiance’ and I loved it! I cannot wait to see the next movie. the first was so well made. I only just found out that it was based on the first book of a 7-10 book series. Although I would love to see them all movies, I am torn…introducing with three movies then beginning a tv series? Obviously it would have to begin with the 4th book and run through to the end of the 10th. But the characters were so grounded just in the first film alone that I could see it being a tv show. One problem with that is U.S. might not pick it up so we would have to wait for each season to come to Netflix 🙁 there’s also the instant gratification thing. It’s one thing to wait for movie after movie…it’s a totally different thing to schedule week to week for several years to watch a story play out. personally, I vote for ALL to be MOVIES.

  3. Have to add just watched it here in the UK on Netflix and the whole family loved it. How did this class film slip us by until now?

  4. Just wathed the first movie and it was fantastic! I have looked for the Tomorrow 2 movie and cannot find anything about it showing in the USA, only that it showed in the UK, NZ, and Australia. Does anyone know if it will be coming to the USA?????

  5. I loved the first movie and have read each of the seven Tomorrow books. Will now start with the the Ellie Chronicle follow-ups.

    The story and characters are a delight to read but would make an even better TV series.

    The best possible follow-up to Lost to hit the small screen – the series could even take a quirky turn as a departure from the original writing – that is the real genius of th author (I mean, he never gets too specific on who did invade Australia, so it could ….)

  6. PLEASE GREEN-LIGHT THE SEQUEL! Just watched on netflix- can’t get to the theaters much since I don’t have a sitter very often, but I would love to see the movie so I know how it all ends- as it is, I will have to find the books at the library and read them. I MUST know how it all ends. -fan from the us

  7. The movie was amazing and a good movie that i would watch again.I really want to watch the second one so hurry up.

  8. I am absolutely a huge fan of both book series and movie and I so desperately want to see the rest of the series made into MOVIES, not tv series because it lacks the same flow and atmosphere that only movies are able to properly portray. So please please please make them into movies, I’ll even happily wait for them 🙂 hope this somehow makes a difference!

  9. im an aussie and have read all of the books it is an amazing serires and it needs to be made into a film, ive seen the first movie a thousand times but you can only watch it so many times before youwish forthe second one and i just want to say please make the second one do everything in your power to make it happen!!!

  10. Watched the movie on Netflix in Ca, U.S. a few months ago. Researched it online and realized it was from John Marsden’s Tomorrow series. Started ordering the books from wherever I could find them. Written for teenagers, but are so well written by John M. that I could not put them down. I read all seven and when finished I went back and read some of them again. By luck I discovered that there was a sequel called the The Ellie Chronicles. Ordered them and read through them pretty quickly. Finding my self wanting to sit down and reread them again. They are that good. Even have gone back watched Tomorrow When the War Began on Netflix a couple of times. Do not know how they could have not done well in the U.S. They are just another Red Dawn movie that takes place in Australia. To be hones I enjoyed the Tomorrow movie much more than I did Red Dawn when it came out. Much better story-line. It is really disappointing knowing that it will not be made into sequels or at least a few made-for-tv-movies.

  11. I have read all the books and watched the first one and am truly gutted that a sequel is still not taking place. A lot of time has paced now and a lot of the actors are with other roles like TV shows so the chance of another one is ver unlikely. It’s such a shame. These stories have such a brilliant story line and the cast assumable was an incredible choice. I do hope that they do another soon, it would kill me to see such a great story die.

  12. Brilliant books made into a brilliant movie. Can’t wait for the second movie. Hurry up & start production.

  13. Just watched this movie an im wanting to watch the 2nd one sooo bad!! Please hurry an get it released!!!!

  14. This is one of the most interesting movie I have ever watched and I have watched a lot of movies needs a sequal by the end of 2015

  15. I always loved the movie and the series on abc3,… you need to finish the sequel,. There was no point making it if theres not sequel.
    Movies come better when theres sequels like twilight or harry potter..

    Please do the sequels we will always be grateful to you for making these sequels.

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