Jeepers Creepers surprised everyone by being a sleeper hit when originally released in 2001. It was casually embraced by fans of the time, but we’re now seeing a whole group of young horror fans who grew up watching the original as kids and cannot wait for what comes next. Jeepers Creepers 2 wasn’t as big of a hit, nor was it as interesting of a movie, but it has begun to garner something of a Nightmare on Elm Street 2 audience due to its homoerotic undertones.
It’s been over thirteen years since the last Jeepers Creepers movie. The fans who grew up with it are begging for another. But where is it? It’s been rumored so many times over the years, but what do we actually know about it at this point in time?
First of all, we know the title. Director Victor Salva has made it pretty clear that the title is Jeepers Creepers 3: Cathedral. Original star Gina Philips will return as her character Trish, who will now have a young son named Darry, named after her brother from the first film who was played by Justin Long and was ultimately killed by the Creeper. Trish has dreams of her son sharing her brother’s fate and seeks to bring a final end to the Creeper to prevent this from happening.
Interestingly, the project was also set to delve into the backstory of the Creeper and explain its origin, or at least give insight into how it came to be.
At this time, the release date is still scheduled for 2017. This is uncertain, though. The movie was finally gearing up to head into production earlier this year, in April, when it came to a total and abrupt stop. It was about to begin shooting in British Columbia when the location services were made aware of Salva’s criminal past.
Deeming the production “unsafe” Breakdown Services casting call advertisers removed the entire production from its files. It makes sense in some way, given that Salva was convicted and served prison time for sexually assaulting a minor and this casting notice in particular was for the character of Addison, who had been molested by her stepfather at the age of thirteen. It’s very strange for someone with a concrete past as a sex offender to include a character undergoing the exact same trauma as their victim in an upcoming film, so it remains to be seen whether or not this character will make it into the movie should it ever come to fruition.
As of this point, it’s unknown what will happen with Jeepers Creepers 3. This was the closest it had come to happening in thirteen years. While it certainly came to an abrupt stop, Salva continues to insist that the project is not dead.
