SALT LAKE CITY -- It's a film that celebrated punk culture in Salt Lake City in the ‘80s, and, 18 years later, "SLC Punk!" is back with a modern-day sequel.
Set in 1985, “SLC Punk!” follows several young men in a coming of age story. Now, a new generation is discovering the cult classic in a sequel called “Punk’s Dead: SLC Punk 2”.
“It kind of brings back the old characters for the old punk scene, the old 'SLC Punk!' lovers, and then reboots it for a new generation," said Devon Sawa, who plays the role of Sean.
For the actors returning from the first film, the sequel is a walk down memory lane.
“As soon as they laid this new wardrobe on the bed... I put it on and just became the guy again, it was just so punk and so crazy,” Sawa said.
"It's crazy, yeah, to play a role you haven't played for 15 years, and come back and do it again has been pretty wild,” said Michael A. Goorjian , who played 'Heroin Bob' in both films.
Cast and crew said they're glad to be back in Salt Lake City, where it all started.
“I enjoy coming back to Salt Lake: it's where I grew up," Director James Merendino said. "I have a lot of friends here. It's sort of my home.”
And they hope this new story strikes a chord with younger fans.
“It's smart, it's not just a teen fluff film,” Goorjian said. “There's a lot of depth to it, it's funny and it's real and that's why I think the film connected so well with people, and I think the new film will as well.”
And, fans at the premiere seemed to agree.
“It’s premiering out here, it's based here, it was made out here," fan Alanna Medina said. "I’ve seen the first one and it strikes just a huge chord of how it's all against conformity and in the end you end up conforming, so it's just a really good message."
