It’s been a while since we’ve visited the streets of Brazil in the genre-defining thriller City of God. Today, over 20 years after the Academy Award-nominated movie was released, Max announced that a sequel series is set to follow-up with the story. Titled City of God: The Fight Rages On, the series will span across six episodes and is set to premiere this August. A specific release window is yet to be announced.
Produced by Fernando Meirelles (The Two Popes) — who directed the original film —, City of God: The Fight Rages On will feature a good slate of characters that we met in City of God, including Buscapé (Alexandre Rodrigues), Lampião (Thiago Martins), Berenice (Roberta Rodrigues), Melonhead (Kiko Marques), and Barbantinho (Edson Oliveira). Even though the 20-year gap between the movie and the series will be a story element, the setting will still be a bit old: Since the movie took place in the late 70s, the series will center around the early 2000s.
In addition to the announcement of the series, Max also revealed that segments of City of God will be used as flashbacks in City of God: The Fight Rages On in order to better contextualize and remind viewers of some long-time events that might have influenced characters decades later. When you consider that the movie depicted kids that survived a traumatic childhood in violent neighborhoods, it’s not surprising that the movie will have a direct influence on the sequel series.
What Is The Story of ‘City of God: The Fight Rages On?’
In the sequel series, we will once again meet photographer and journalist Buscapé, but Max is yet to reveal at what capacity he’ll be featured in the story. It’s also safe to assume that City of God: The Fight Rages On will offer a whole new approach to the characters, since conversations around privilege, structural racism and police brutality have greatly evolved over the past twenty years. The episodes will be directed by Aly Muritiba (Prime Video‘s New Bandits).
City of God was released in 2002 to immense critical acclaim. To this day, it is considered a masterpiece both for Brazilian and international cinema. It told the story of several people who grew up in Cidade de Deus (original title), the biggest slum in Brazil and a place that offered little protection to its inhabitants in terms of violence, crime and drug war. A brutally honest depiction, the movie was nominated for four Academy Awards (including Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay) and was a standout in several other awards, including the BAFTAs, Critics’ Choice and AFI Fest.
City of God: The Fight Rages On premieres in August on Max. A specific release window is yet to be announced by the streamer.
via Collider