Brother, the film that defined 90s Russia, could be getting a second sequel

Russian cult classics Brother and Brother 2 are set for a new sequel more than two decades after their first release.

Directed by Alexei Balabanov and starring a young Sergey Bodrov as anti-hero Danila Bagrov, the bleak crime dramas — released in 1997 and 2000 respectively — achieved iconic status for a generation of Russians coming of age in the turbulent 1990s.

Now musician and entertainer Stas Baretsky has announced his plans to film Brother 3, with former Russian MMA fighter Vyacheslav Datsik due to take a leading role.

Despite a modest three million ruble ($45,630) budget, Baretsky has already promised that the film will be “scandalous.” “In Russia, there are always three brothers,” he told reporters. “One is clever, the second is cunning, and the third, well, is okay. That’s why we’ll also be making a third film.”

The project hasn’t been embraced across the board however, with Sergey Selyanov, producer of Balabanov’s original films, slamming the move as “disrespectful.”

“To me, it seems rather stupid, as well as rude and disrespectful towards the original film and its creators,” he told Russia’s Rossiskaya Gazeta newspaper.

Brother 3 is currently due for release in 2020.