Marlton Movie Sequel (The Sequel)

Marlton Movie Sequel (The Sequel) is an American animated/live-action satirical comedy drama film based on the Kingson animated series Marlton, as well as the second film based on the series. Directed by series creator Michael Argot, and written by him and series co-writer Dab Mcgee, the film features the regular cast of Brandon Soo Hoo, Jorge Diaz, Ralf Hat, Jeremy Shada, Jack DeSena; while Alan Tudyk reprises his role as recurring antagonist Wacky Pal. The film serves as a narrative conclusion to the series. In the film, the Marlton boys are brought together again years after they've grown apart from each other when a nostalgia-obsessed Steven makes a deal with Wacky Pal to use the film camera to create a reality where his rose-tinted vision of Marlton will last forever. In contrast to the first film, which parodied the film industry as a whole, Sequel satirizes the existence of Marlton in itself; modern media's reliance on nostalgia, as well as the specific audience who perpetuates this stigma. The film is scheduled for release on July 22, 2022.

Synopsis
Set over 10 years after the events of the series, the Marlton boys are all college-aged and have since gone their separate ways. They are all in different places in life and satisfied with who they have become; all except for Steven, who is disillusioned with his future and longing for the memories he had at Marlton Intermediate. He comes across the long since forgotten Wacky Pal and makes a deal with him to make things exactly the way they used to be many years ago. Unbeknownst to him, however, this deal is exactly what Wacky Pal needed to take full advantage of his self-awareness; and uses his reality warping abilities to ensure that Steven's vision of Marlton will continue forever, the true nature of which is now revealed to everyone. With their reality falling apart literally and figuratively, the Marlton boys, aided by the now functioning film camera, will have to make up for lost time and shatter the fourth wall once and for all to save their past, present and future from the looming threat of Wacky Pal and the higher Executive gods who all seek to remain stuck in the past Steven thinks so highly of.

Cast

 * Brandon Soo Hoo as Steven Nguyen
 * Bobby Lee as Adult Steven
 * Jorge Diaz as Chester Jefferson
 * Ralf Hat as Mike Aski and Paltu "Whitey" Rasheed
 * Jeremy Shada as Ryan Pearce
 * Jack DeSena as Eli Miller
 * Alan Tudyk as Wacky Pal
 * Michael Argot as a fictionalized version of himself.
 * Jason Statham as a fictionalized version of himself.

Development
Following the release of the first film, Argot and Mcgee had already envisioned a concept for a sequel which was to tackle the oversaturation of sequels and the creation of media franchises. However, distributor Warner Bros. was initially uninterested in producing another Marlton film due to the first film's niche audience. Despite this, Argot and Mcgee were still interested in the project, which went through many rewrites and revisions in hopes of gaining the distributor's approval. During this time, Argot also had plans to conclude Marlton in the near future, a decision that would ironically gain Warner Bros. attention. After more negotiations, the previously planned television finale was reworked into a sequel film, scheduled for July 2022. The film was officially announced in July 2020, under the working title Marlton Movie 2. According to Argot, many titles were tossed around before the crew settled on the tongue-in-cheek Marlton Movie Again, which Warner Bros vetoed in fear of the film appearing indistinguishable from the first.

Themes
Like its predecessor, Marlton Movie Sequel tells a metafictional narrative, though more heavily leans into the dual perspectives between the connection of the Marlton universe and the "real world" that was revealed at the end of the first film. Whereas the first film satirized modern Hollywood tropes and patterns, Sequel uses the Marlton franchise as a base to spoof media franchises as a whole - particularly those that attempt to appease to the nostalgic feelings of their fans.