By: John M Jerva

With the big news that the Skylines franchise is continuing on with the fourth installment Skylines: Radial, we’ve got some more news on another sci-fi franchise that is quietly taking over the genre market.

With the success of the films Occupation and it’s recent sequel Occupation Rainfall, we’ve got word that the franchise is getting bigger with the announcement of not one film but two more films on the horizon. Titled Occupation Rainfall: Chapter 2 and Occupation Rainfall: Chapter 3, filmmaker Luke Sparke is doubling down on two more entries that will promise more alien and military combat action for genre films.

Chapter 2 is getting some serious new firepower added to its cast in that Jeremy Piven (Entourage) Casper Van Dien (Starship Troppers), Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica), Liam McIntyre (Spartacus) and Danny Trejo (Machete) are all signed on to appear in the next film.

They join a returning cast from the previous film that includes Jason Isaacs, Jet Tranter, Dan Ewing, Zac Garred, Charles Mesure, and Dena Kaplan. There will be additional casting announcements closer to the start of production. Sparke will once again write and direct the second and third film like has with the other two.

The Official Synopsis to Chapter 2: Survival or extinction. Following the international success of Occupation Rainfall, comes the continuing chapters of the Rainfalltrilogy. Earth’s resistance is thrown into chaos as an ominous new threat ruthlessly hunts down the humans that are left, and any aliens who have joined them. With no clear leader and struggling to find common ground, the resistance finds itself on the brink of destruction. Aboard the Mothership, a group of survivors, plan to strike at the heart of the Alien threat – the Rainfall weapon – as the fate of all life hangs in the balance.

The next two films will film back to back in Australia and will utilize a custom built LED volume stage. Cameras are set to roll in the third quarter of this year.

“It’s been a genuine thrill to see Occupation Rainfall find its audience as it rolled out around the world,” Sparke stated. “Every day, it finds new fans and the feedback from them has been amazingly supportive. I’m so happy that I can bring my vison for the Rainfall Trilogy to the screens very, very soon. They are bigger, better and bombastic but also uniquely grounded in humanity and what it means to be a member of this planet. Filming these stories back-to-back later this year will be a huge challenge but one I’m excited to deep dive into with the amazing cast and crew we are gathering. It’s a celebration of sci/fi!”

Carly Sparke and Carmel Imrie will serve as producers on the films along with Alex Becconsall, Zac Garred, and Liam McIntyre as co-producers. Executive producers will consist of Executive Producers are Clay Epstein, Geoff Imrie and Luke Sparke.

Aside from the Skylines franchise, this one is one of my favorite indie sci-fi action films and deliver big budget spectacle, visuals and set pieces on limited budgets. If you haven’t checked out the Occupation films, do yourself a favor and watch ‘em now.

Keep it locked and loaded right here for more announcements to come on the newest installments of the Occupation franchise as we are your destination for everything action in 2022 and beyond!

In the meantime, check out the trailers for the first two films and see what you’re missing below!

Source: Cinema Australia