Robbie and Stephen Amell return to produce, star in follow-up to their original sci-fi hit 'Code 8'

Code 8 is quickly becoming the little franchise that could. The sci-fi thriller starring (and crowdfunded by) Robbie Amell and his real-life cousin, Arrow's Stephen Amell, is getting a sequel. Deadline is reporting the Cousins Amell are returning to reprise their roles in Code 8: Part II. 

Jeff Chan, who helmed the original, is also back to direct a script written by Chan, Chris Paré (who wrote Code 8), Sherren Lee and Jesse LaVercombe. Chan, the Amells and Paré will produce.

Set in a dystopian future where 4 percent of the population have superpowers, Code 8 tells the story of Connor (Robbie Amell), a financially strapped, desperate young man recruited by Garrett (Stephen Amell) to pull off crimes on behalf of Lincoln City’s drug lord, Marcus (Greg Bryk). Meanwhile, a militarized police force is determined to bring down Marcus' organization and anyone associated with it. It's a bit of an X-Men vibe, but more grounded, with some solid world-building and character work tying it together.

Per the report, the upcoming sequel centers on a teenage girl seeking justice for her brother who was killed by corrupt police. After witnessing the cover-up, she becomes a target and enlists the help of Robbie Amell’s Connor and Stephen Amell’s Garrett. The three of them will face-off against a respected and protected police sergeant who will do everything in his power to save his own skin. 

Code 8 was a labor of love for Robbie Amell, starting out as a short film before he and his cousin Stephen launched a crowdfunding campaign to produce a feature-length version which was released in late-2019. The film did well, and gained even more buzz after it debuted on Netflix and charted for a few weeks (it's still streaming now, in case you missed it).

After the first film, the cousins then conceived of a follow-up spinoff series for the short-lived online streaming service Quibi (but we all know how that turned out). Fortunately for the IP, the Amells had the will to keep it alive, setbacks with Quibi aside. 

Robbie Amell is quoted as saying: “There’s nothing better than working with family and friends. Code 8 was the embodiment of that. I can’t wait to get back to work on the sequel.”

Stephen Amell added: “Code 8 is an incredibly personal and special project for all of us. We built the world in the first one and now we’re ready to blow it out!”

Production is set to begin later this year on the sequel.