Last November, I reported about a follow-up to 2023’s “Sisu,” which had just wrapped filming and was eyeing a 2025 premiere.
Sony Pictures' Screen Gems has now set up a release date. The sequel is scheduled to hit theaters on November 21, 2025. Don’t be surprised if “Sisu 2” —tentatively titled — ends up having a world premiere at TIFF, which is where the original was first unveiled.
Jalmari Helander is returning as director, with Jorma Tommila once again stepping into the role of the seemingly unstoppable Aatami. Plot details are being kept under wraps. Interestingly, while the original was filmed in Finland, production for “Sisu 2” shifted to Estonia this time around.
“Sisu,” which earned $14M globally, was made on a $6M budget. It has since spawned a following via streaming, especially on Netflix where the film was seen by millions of eyeballs. The sequel is reportedly operating on more than twice the budget of the original.
Set in 1944 during the waning days of World War II, the first film followed a former soldier who stumbles upon gold in the Finnish wilderness, only to be pursued by a group of ruthless Nazi soldiers led by an SS commander.
“Sisu” offered a deliberately over-the-top viewing experience, blending bleak humor with relentless action, and often felt like a 1940s-era Finnish take on “John Wick.” Much like Wick, Aatami proved nearly indestructible—surviving explosions, gunfire, hangings, and stabbings, always managing to rise again.
The film’s charm lay in its creatively choreographed violence and the performance of 63-year-old Tommila, who played the grizzled, Nazi-slaying hero with minimal dialogue but maximum impact. I look forward to the continuation of his story.