Congo Star Ernie Hudson Reveals If He’s Down for a Sequel

While Congo might have attempted to follow the footsteps of Jurassic Park, as it was a big-budget spectacle that adapted a novel from Michael Crichton, the film didn’t ignite the same franchise buzz as the dinosaur-centered storyline, though star Ernie Hudson is open to reprising his role of Monroe Kelly. Despite Congo being a relatively successful financial endeavor, it didn’t earn the critical praise quite like the Steven Spielberg-directed Jurassic Park, and with the narrative of Congo being so specific, the entire concept might not be able to be continued or repeated as organically as the Jurassic series.

“From day one, when we finished, [I said] I’d love to have another Congo,” Hudson shared with ComicBook.com. “At Paramount, it might have been their biggest film that year, but they’ve never given it a lot of respect. I’m not quite sure what that’s about or why. I’d love to see it happen. I love the character, it’s one of the characters — probably had more fun with that character than a lot of the ones I’ve worked with. It was really cool.”

The story focuses on a group of researchers attempting to reintroduce the young gorilla Amy back into her natural habitat, with such an opportunity also allowing scientists to find a vanished expedition as well as fabled diamond mines. Hudson played the leader of the expedition, who clearly had his fair share of solo adventures. 

Despite Hudson having starred in a number of notable efforts throughout his career, he previously explained that when fans book him for a Cameo video message, he has found a surprising amount of requests related to Congo.

“Now I do these Cameo things, which is a lot of fun, and, really, during this quarantine, it connected me to the audience, and surprisingly, a lot of people will ask you, ‘Can you do it as Monroe Kelly?’” the actor shared with ComicBook.com last year. “A lot of different movies come up, but Congo is one that people will say is their favorite movie. It’s certainly in the minds of people, so that’s good.”  

Hudson can currently be seen in NBC’s Quantum Leap revival. Stay tuned for possible updates on the future of Congo.

Would you like to see Hudson reprise his role? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!