The Departed screenwriter discusses potential sequel

Martin Scorsese‘s Best Picture winner The Departed is based on the Hong Kong crime classic Infernal Affairs. Considering Infernal Affairs is followed by two sequels, rumours of another instalment of The Departed have lingered since its release in 2006. There has been, of course, one giant obstacle in the way of continuing the saga … (SPOILERS AHEAD for The Departed.)

…Specifically, the fact that much of the cast winds up dead at the end of the film.

Screenwriter William Monahan spoke to Collider about his ideas for the potential sequel, which would reunite the original cast (adding the caveat that he doesn’t believe it will ever come to pass):

“My idea actually is to set the film before, during and after the action of the first film, which I think would be extraordinary… Essentially, in the middle section of the thing I’ve intended, you’d see actions that take place during the original Departed, but aren’t on screen in the original Departed. There would be off-screen things that occur at that point in the story. But it would work seamlessly as a movie of its own.”

We probably won’t ever see it, but it’s nice to think about, no?

Discuss: Would you like to see the stars align for Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg and the rest to return?