Sharknado 4' Is Happening, and You Can Choose the Plot

Because three "Sharknado" movies just aren't enough, Syfy has already greenlit "Sharknado 4" -- and fans can control a major plot point in the flick.

As those who watched the "Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!" premiere on Wednesday night already know (SPOILERS ahead), the movie ended on a cliff-hanger centered around Tara Reid's character, April. After having just sawed her way out of a shark -- and delivered a baby inside its belly -- April is embracing her family on the beach when a piece of space debris (it makes sense, kind of, if you watched the film) comes crashing down toward her head.

So does she survive? That's what fans of the franchise get to decide, as no sooner had the flick faded to black did the hashtags #AprilLives and #AprilDies appeared on the screen, with Syfy imploring viewers to use social media (and a dedicated voting page) to determine if April will be back for round four. An announcer declared, "Her fate will be revealed in 'Sharknado 4' ... because we're not done yet!" (Side note: "Sharknado 4: We're Not Done Yet" has a nice ring to it.)

Syfy used a similar crowdsourcing gimmick to settle on the subtitle of "Sharknado 2: The Second One," and the series has relied on plenty of fan interaction in the past. As "Sharknado" producer Chris Regina explained in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the audience vote was just another extension of that. He told THR:

 

The original ending for the film that directorAnthony C. Ferrante was passionate about was having it all end on the beach in this wonderful family moment where they all hold hands, look up at the sky, Fin salutes his dad, and then we fade out. I said, "That's great, but it sounds like the ending of a trilogy of a franchise that's not going to continue. It's a satisfying ending that doesn't go on." I wanted to take a page out of some of the classic television stunts that have been done and contemporize them. We needed to do something that was going to keep the audience in jeopardy and want to come back for another 'Sharknado.'

For her part, Reid is taking the nail-biting wait in stride, telling THR that while the ending was "a shocker" for her, it's a "big turning point for the franchise."

"No matter what happens, I'm proud to be a part of this phenomenon," Reid said. "If the fans and everyone decide that April's meant to survive, then that's what's meant to happen, and if it goes the other way, I'm a survivor, and I'll keep on doing great things. ... Hey, anything can happen. There are no rules in 'Sharknado!'"

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