Simon Pegg isn’t interested in bringing Shaun of the Dead back to life — not as a sequel, and not as a reboot. While fans have long speculated about a possible return to the zombie comedy that launched his international career, Pegg has made it clear: the story is finished, and he’s happy to leave it that way.
Speaking during a Reddit AMA, Pegg addressed whether Shaun of the Dead might see a continuation. “I think it’s best left alone. I don’t think there’s any point in rebooting it. Some stories just have a beginning, middle and end,” he said. “And the trouble with sequels sometimes, is that you have to undo the resolution of the original film in order to start another story.”
Pegg didn’t just dismiss the idea on a whim. He’s no stranger to franchise filmmaking. He’s appeared in six Mission: Impossible entries and three Star Trek films, genres where stories can sprawl endlessly. But Shaun? That was something else. “With films like Mission: Impossible, or the kind of superhero genre, or Star Trek, it works because it’s a continuing adventure,” Pegg said. “But with Shaun of the Dead, Shaun has an arc that he starts somewhere and ends somewhere. And we’re happy with the way that ends.”
The actor also noted how a sequel could retroactively damage the original. “Sometimes, when you sequelize a film like that, you can end up spoiling the original, because when you watch the original again, you’re thinking, ‘Well they’re gonna go through this other thing.’ The resolution stops having any meaning. So, no, is the answer to that question!”
Though the film that made him a household name won’t be revisited, Pegg and director Edgar Wright have continued to work together. Their so-called Cornetto Trilogy — Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End — tackled friendship, adulthood, and identity, all through a genre lens.
As for Pegg’s current adventures, he returns as Benji Dunn in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, now playing in cinemas from this weekend. But Shaun? He’s staying in the Winchester, where he belongs.
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