Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 Writer Explains Why He Took On Sequel After First Film "Wasn't Great"

The 44th Golden Raspberry Awards took place yesterday, and Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey was the event's big "winner." The horror movie took home the Razzie Awards for Worst Picture, Worst Screen Couple, Worst Remake/Rip-Off/Sequel, Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay. After the movie was released, it earned a spot in some "worst movies of all time" lists and got a 3% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the microbudget movie was a financial success, and now a sequel is heading to theaters later this month. The sequel has a much bigger budget, and writer Matt Leslie recently took to Instagram to explain why he signed on to the project. 

"Yes, I wrote WINNIE THE POOH: BLOOD & HONEY 2," Leslie began. "People seem surprised, and I get it. The first film... wasn't great. This is how I got involved... @andrewscottbell reached out. Andy is an insanely talented composer who created a wonderful score for the first film. Candidly, it was one of the few bright spots. He said the filmmaker was looking to step things up in the sequel and was in search of a writer."

"I said I'd be down to at least have a chat with him -- you never know where things can lead in this business," he continued. "So, I spoke to @rhys_frake_waterfield (writer-director of WINNIE THE POOH: BLOOD & HONEY) at length about what went right and wrong with part 1, and he was quite sober about it all. He knew it wasn't a good film. Having made it for like $40k, you can imagine what an impossible task it was. But sometimes in this business, you take what you can get. It's f*cking brutal." 

"But because the film did well at the box office, they had a bigger -- albeit still quite modest -- budget for the sequel. When you speak to Rhys, you quickly fall under his spell. What I mean is, he loves making films. He doesn't do it to get rich. He's passionate. That I relate to. Deeply. That plus his vision for the sequel made me want to be a part of it, despite many concerns I had. For example: 1) Winnie the Pooh killing people is absurd. How do you make that compelling? Do you lean into the campiness or go for true scary slasher vibes? 2) The budget was still super small, so just because I could dream it up, doesn't mean Rhys and his team could pull it off on the day. And honestly many more concerns."

"Still though, I believed in Rhys, and I believed in @scottchambers_ as the lead (his performance is f*cking brilliant btw). So I took a leap of faith," he added. "And I'm glad I did. Despite all those concerns and so much uncertainty, the film we've all made is a blast. Good people came together and made something that's scary, funny, and definitely f*cking bonkers, and it's worthy of playing in theaters. And it will, starting March 26th." You can view the post below:

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A post shared by Matt Leslie (@matthewgleslie)

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 Gets Three-Day Theatrical Event: 

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 is coming to theaters March 26th through March 28th. 

"This sequel is a big step up and ITN is excited to share this movie with our fans," Stuart Alson, President of ITN Studios, shared in a statement. You can read a description of the sequel below:

"Deep within the 100-Acre-Wood, a destructive rage grows as Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Owl, and Tigger find their home and their lives endangered after Christopher Robin revealed their existence.  Not wanting to live in the shadows any longer, the group decides to take the fight to the town of Ashdown, home of Christopher Robin, leaving a bloody trail of death and mayhem in their wake.  Winnie and his savage friends will soon show everyone that the hunters will soon become the hunted, whilst looking to exact their revenge on Christopher Robin once and for all."

You can check out a listing of theaters playing Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, and buy tickets here.