Rounders 2 a reality?
Both the stars and writers of poker's most enduring film say a sequel is a realistic possibility.
"Everybody would probably come back," Rounders star Matt Damon told PokerListings. "The actors all had a really good time working together. I know Edward would want to do it; we had a blast working together. [Director] John Dahl I'm sure would like to do it. Maybe someday it will happen.
"The only reason to do a movie like that would be if we had a great idea. If the two writers suddenly said eureka! We have a great idea. Then everyone involved would be interested in exploring it."
According to one half of the David Levien and Brian Koppleman writing team, who penned both Rounders and the casino caper flick Oceans 13, that "eureka" moment may not be far off.
"We've been concentrating on Rounders 2 lately; Ideas are percolating," Levien told PokerListings. "It's great to know that all of the original players want to come back and do another one."
The Hollywood rumor mill recently had Leonardo DiCaprio set to star in a Rounders sequel using a Levien and Koppleman script based on online casinos.
Levien confirmed that project is in the works, but its association to Rounders is circumstantial at best.
"We did just set up a project centering on the world of offshore online casinos with Leonardo attached," Levien said. "It's a little ways down the road, but we've started researching."
"It's a great world. Some of the countries where online casinos are based are like the new version of the Wild West, and with so much money on the line there is lots of drama attached."
The two writers just seem drawn to the world of poker and gambling.
"Vegas, the poker world, the casino environment, and the characters that gravitate around them are endlessly fascinating to us," Levien said.
"We've always been interested in poker players who develop these skills and literally live by them; putting their money on the table and living or dying by how good they are."
Rounders is hands down the most popular and influential poker movie ever made.
It's been quoted, impersonated and dissected at more poker tables and online forums than any other film. Those discussions often center on how the movie was written and why these two writers picked poker as the setting for their first feature film.
Levien says it was the game itself that that drew them in.
"Brian and I had been working on the rough beginnings of a screenplay idea about two friends, and deciding what to do with one's life, and we weren't sure exactly what world we were going to set it in," he explained.
"Then Brian called me at about three in the morning and said 'I just lost all my money at an underground poker club. It was awesome. We've got to set the movie here.'
"The next night we went, and kept going back, playing at clubs all over the city every night for a year. We read all the available important poker books too, and began writing the script during the mornings."
One of the underground poker clubs in question was New York's famed Mayfair Club, home court to Dan Harrington, Howard Lederer, Erik Seidel and a host of colorful characters.
Speculation regarding the various characters in the movie and who they were based on has run rampant since the film's 1998 release.
It has even been claimed the movie was based on actor/comedian Norm MacDonald and although he occasionally played at Mayfair, Levien says Rounders really had nothing to do with him.
However, he did confirm rumors that the "Teddy KGB" character was based on a player known as "Eddie KGB," and that "Joey Knish" was actually based on a rounder named "Joel Bagels," but he squashed all speculation regarding Damon's character "Mike McDermott."
"Brian had just gone to law school at night, but didn't want to practice law, so we got the idea: What if something that seemed conventionally wrong, like poker playing, was really the main character's destiny, and something usually considered proper, like being a lawyer, wasn't the right choice," he said.
For Rounders biggest fans, the most frequently argued question has always regarded what Teddy KGB was holding in the film's final hand.
Unfortunately, Levien and Koppleman still refuse to end that debate.
"That's probably the most asked question in regard to the movie, but it's something we never answer," Levien said.
Comments
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Imran
2010-08-13Yes. I want that sequal. Like in the poker --- " ALL IN "
I want the film about winning the WPT
Ibe
2010-08-04Would love to see this sequel with some side bet action twisting the finale for the final table in the movie. No matter who wins the WSOP, the winner of the side bet would be laughing all the way to the bank. Keep the GF out of it unless you kill her off in the first 30 min, to setup the movie.
Budo45
2010-07-04Just watched the end, we never see KGBs hole cards, cards showing is what he threw on the table.
R2 should take up ten years later, WSOP, Mike is makeing a come back after making it big in LV with a great showing and winning 2 WSOP ..went on a skid and lost it all.....now hes about to comebake and make it three....if only he can get over TKGB and the worm plus a lot of lucky young kids ....is his losing streak over or will worm put him under?
Jakey Jakey
2010-06-19My idea........It starts with Mike staying in Vegas prepping for the WSOP Main Event...Then, you see Worm doing his thing, being on the run...He gets arrested for something minor, and stays in jail overnight...On the TV at the jail is the WSOP, he sees Mike, goes to Vegas after he gets out, they meet, talk, blah blah. I dunno what happens from there...but, at the WSOP final table, it's Johnny Chan, KGB, and Mike and some random pros. Johnny Chan knocks out KGB, and it ends up, Mike vs Johnny Chan...heads up for the WSOP main event. Johnny Chan facerapes Mike, Mike doesn't care about the money he won, he just thinks he can beat Johnny Chan again....Mike challenges Johnny for Mike's WSOP winnings, heads up. Mike wins, somehow. roll credits.
Johnny B
2010-06-02I would love to see a sequel to one of the best movies ever made.
The tall Russian girl will be a cherry on the top
lets play some cards
Ratsnav
2010-05-31I love this movie but why was Gramma so upset at Mike winning? I mean, he bought Worm's debt for 30 cents on the dollar and made his profit without having to kill anyone!
Luisda
2010-04-27Worm has to be a strong. Character in the new movie because he was the reason of all of Mike's troubles in the first one. They end up upset with each other, and they need to make ends meet. Now... Everybody is expecting Damon and Norton to be back on the sequel, although any other character could make it... To be honest... I would like to see Mr Malkovich in Vega's with them too. I hope they decide to make the movie...
Tyler
2010-03-21KGB has pocket tens, just watched that scene frame by frame and they're clearly pocket tens.
Mike
2010-02-24Why would KGB even play that night if he was going to get the money anyway in the morning. You can only skin a sheep once. I would say A-10 makes the most logical hand given the way KGB played the hand, but 10 10 maybe, its a movie. KGB thought he was drawing, and even if Mikey had Aces up, he likely had a weaker two pair, at least thats what KGB thought. Sequal likely will include worm finding his way onto Russ Hamilton's Ultimate Bet cheating team.
A played the DVD back frame by frame, and it looked like A 10 diamonds.
Essa
2010-02-24I think the best Idea would be about mike going to vegas to play the wsop but runs into some bad people again and has to round his way out of it with the help of worm. but the problem is that its mikes fault that he is in the jam and worm has to help .
Chris
2010-01-25This movie should pick up where the original left off. Mike in a taxi heading for Vegas. He gets to Vegas and plays in the WSOP. Only to face Worm at the final table. Please do not bring back his ex gf lawyer!
Brian
2010-01-06Oh, I hope Teddy didn't have a set a 10s!!! That would totally ruin the movie! It would mean Mike played the hand wrong at the end and just got lucky. A straight should not be slow-played against a set, due to the possibility of a full house. I always read Teddy on ace-ten.
Jason Sagan
2010-01-02KGB had 2p or a set the final hand... He put Mike on a draw that's why he said "The ace could not have helped you"...
wayne
2009-12-24For me the best story would to make edward nortons "Worm" be the main character and the film to follow his story from maybe even before the original films timeline and show more of the underbelly of the poker world, maybe climaxing in a tournament where all of the characters would be involved.
adam
2009-12-22Gramma comes out of the closet in rounders 2. I guess that answers the question of "rolling fags in the village again?"
steve
2009-12-16haha freeman i agree with the board pairing, does it to me everytime i flop somethin pretty, flop the nut flush, turns into the worst hand on the table by the river
Freeman
2009-11-30Please, no sappy reunion of Mike and Jo. They were really wrong for each other. I guess they almost have to center the sequel around a deep run in the WSOP.
Or Mike decides to go on a campaign to win all of Phil Hellmuth's money in big cash games on TV :-)
And yes, Teddy had a set of 10s. If I had Mike's straight and slowplayed it, the board would have paired.
Josh
2009-11-28he was flush
NSD
2009-10-20Lol, he doesn't say, "The ace could not of helped u b/c he has aces." He says, "The ace could not have helped u" because he thought that Mike was on a draw with something like 58 or 45...so the ace couldn't have helped ne drawing hand. Ne ways, it's just a movie, but a the best poker movie I've seen. In the last hand, I don't think there should even be a dialogue about Mike drawing to ne thing, b/c it wasn't really a draw heavy board. 6710 rainbow...if Mike had 45 or 58 he could be bet off that hand easily b/c a 9 could get him in a lot of trouble. Maybe if he had J9, but than he wouldn't get paid with the 8 hitting, cuz 4 cards to str8. lol ne wayz, gr8 movie, subtle poker dialogue mistakes.
gogetter
2009-09-22Hello,
OK, so Mikey heads off to Vegas.
Wins some money after a few years and runs into his ex GF when she goes to Vegas to attend a convention. Mikey by now is a greater player than he was and during this time also wins the Main Event and now needs an attorney and hires her. Only problem is that she is married to another lawyer who has hidden his poker from her and drains both of them of all their money and belongings. They get divorced, Mikey and her hook up again to go after him only to find he has sent all his money and stuff to the Cayman Islands where they get revenge.
Maybe this would lead to a part 3. you know, sequel city!
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