Usually when a movie sequel begins filming, it’s because the predecessor has already been released, and either audiences or studios are clamoring for another trip to that cinematic universe. But that’s just not the case for Matthew Gratzner’s indie western Hot Bath an’ a Stiff Drink, which already has a follow-up in production despite not having been released yet. Not only that, but its cast just got a little bigger, as Frankie Muniz, Alison Eastwood and genre everyman Robert Patrick have all signed on. Not additions that make you want to run out and sell your children to watch it, but it’s a step up from the first film’s lesser-known actors.
Variety has no plot description for the film besides a setting in the 1890s, and one has to wonder where the story can go. The first film starred Jeffrey Patterson as a U.S. Marshal named Vance Dillinger whose twin brother Tom was kidnapped by outlaws when the two were youths. Thirty years after the kidnapping, Tom is a thief with a big bounty on his head, and soon has his identity revealed during a botched robbery. As you can imagine, people think that Vance is the culprit, and so he must try to track down his brother. To make matters more dramatic, it’s discovered the killer who murdered the brothers’ parents is still alive.
Revenge and brotherly love are both great traits that a western often showcases, so one has to wonder where the story will go in this second film. We do know that Muniz will play a deputy, while Eastwood will be playing a doctor in a part specifically written for her by Gratzner, who is coming back as director.
Muniz, who suffered a mini-stroke earlier in the week, is in better health now. While the former Malcolm in the Middle star seemed destined for a career in cinema, his last film role in the recent past was in this year’s Syfy Original thriller Blast Vegas.
Eastwood, daughter of Academy Award-winning legend Clint Eastwood, was last seen in this year’s lackluster supernatural thriller Shadow People. She’ll next be seen in the dramatic high school reunion film C.R.U. and the music-themed family film Finding Harmony.
One of the busiest guys in the business, Patrick has already had a full year with roles in films like Gangster Squad, Identity Thief and Lovelace, and on the TV series True Blood and Last Resort. He’ll next be seen in the Allison Burnett drama Undiscovered Gyrl and Michael Cuesta’s true crime drama Kill the Messenger.
To give you an idea of what to expect from this as-yet-untitled sequel, here’s the trailer for Hot Bath an’ a Stiff Drink, which looks like a well-produced flick.
