With The Darkest Minds – The Survivors, 20th Century Studios (then still 20th Century Fox) attempted to establish a new major film series. This served as the basis Fantasy novel of the same name by Alexandra Brackenwhich received several sequels in book form. However, the cinema version failed.
With a slim budget of 34 million US dollars, the chances were good that the material would also be a success on the big screen. In the end, the film could only a sobering $41 million which did not cover the additional marketing costs that were added to the budget.
Fantasy flop on TV today: The Darkest Minds could have been at least a trilogy
However, The Darkest Minds turned out to be a disappointment, and not just financially. Also The film was hardly impressive in terms of qualityso that the post-apocalyptic adventure has almost been forgotten four years after its theatrical release. No wonder part 2 didn’t get the green light.
You can watch the trailer for The Darkest Minds here:
The Darkest Minds – Trailer (German) HD
There would have been plenty of material for a sequel: Bracken’s original includes four books as well as various short stories and novellas. The first trilogy tells Ruby’s storywho we also get to know as the protagonist in the film adaptation. She is played by Amandla Stenberg, known from The Hate U Give and The Acolyte.
The Darkest Minds book series at a glance:
Filmmaker Jennifer Yuh Nelson, who directed the first part, also expressed her interest at the time to direct The Darkest Minds 2. Last but not least, the end of the opening sets up the story’s progression. However, the sequel was never officially announced.
After The Darkest Minds failed in the cinema, one can speculate whether the story brought back to life in the form of a rebootfor example as a series on Disney+. Percy Jackson could be a role model: After two films, the material was re-edited in series form under the umbrella of the streaming service.
When is The Darked Minds on TV?
The Darkest Minds is on tonight on September 28, 2024 at 10:00 p.m. on Sat.1. The broadcast lasts until 00:05 a.m. The repetition follows on the night of Sunday to Monday at 1:05 a.m. Alternatively, you can watch the film on Disney+ with a streaming subscription.
This article was first published in a similar form on Moviepilot in March 2022.
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