Red Dwarf return "might not happen" – star confirms status of new episodes
Fans might have to wait longer than expected for a Red Dwarf return.
While excitement has been high about a potential return for Red Dwarf, star Craig Charles has revealed the comeback is proving trickier than expected and that it "might not happen" this time around.
It was previously reported that there were plans for the show to return to screens this year with three new episodes, but Charles, who plays Lister, has shared a new update.
"I’m not sure that it will come back, to be honest," he exclusively told RadioTimes.com.
"I know that the deal that we had to make it this year looks like that might not be happening now.
"I can't really say any more on that because I don't know much more, but I just know that there have been lots of conversations about cost, and I think [the episodes] might be too expensive."
He clarified: "It's not that we don't want to do it, it's a case of we're trying to get it done... [it's] happening in television all the time at the moment, there doesn't seem to be that much money around."
The key cast members, Charles, Chris Barrie, Danny John-Jules and Robert Llewellyn, were reportedly set to return - so here's hoping it can still happen one day!
Elsewhere, Charles has returned to his comedy roots for his new film Zombie Apache, which follows a greedy real estate developer who desecrates a sacred Viking burial ground and unleashes a nightmare upon the unsuspecting locals.
Charles said of the film: "It's a proper funny script... it's a bit like America's Shaun of the Dead, only it's set in the Appalachian Mountains."
He added: "It was just great working with Jamie Costa. I think he's gonna be a proper Hollywood star, he's a very talented lad. It's done a bit like an '80s buddy movie - like Lethal Weapon with zombies!"
Given the film's title, it of course has a link to Native American culture, with Charles addressing how the film aimed to portray the culture sensitively.
He said: "At the end of the film, you'll definitely be on the Native Americans' side.
"My character is called Liverpool Joe and he's a guy that's gone over to America, fell in love with a Native American girl, married her, and learned their ways, which he then employs to his own life in a way that you think, 'Does he really understand?' So he's quite a conflicted character in that way.
"It's fun, the script is funny, and it's shot beautifully."
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Authors
Louise Griffin is the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor for Radio Times, covering everything from Doctor Who, Star Wars and Marvel to House of the Dragon and Good Omens. She previously worked at Metro as a Senior Entertainment Reporter and has a degree in English Literature.
