The makers of “The Boondock Saints,” are turning it into a graphic novel called “In Nomine Patris,” and it is now available for preorder.

The comic book version of the movie features never before seen clips and a forward from Connor MacManus(Sean Patrick Flanery).

Troy Duffy, creator of Boondock Saints, designed the novel to touch on events from the movies, as well as create its own story line, revealing the secret history of Noah MacManus.  With the help of comic scribe J.B. Love, Duffy expounds his legendary story in a new chapter.

“In Nomine Patris” is available for pre-order at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Hastings and many other book stores across America.

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The creator of The Boondock Saints announced the pre-sale of his new documentary “Off The Boulevard,” which he produced with Santo Films.

Troy Duffy describes his new film as “an interesting and educational behind-the-scenes look at the struggles fellow independent artists go through in pursuit of their dreams.”

The film follows seven artists (two musicians, two filmmakers, two actors and one comedian) who become friends through a shared struggle to succeed in art industry

“It gives us an inside look at the tough lives of some up-and-coming independent artists.  As we watch them fight their way through the industries of music and film, we glean words of wisdom from successful veterans of the entertainment business,” said Duffy.

Industry greats such as Peter Fonda, Gilby Clarke and Eddie Vedder offer advice and insight throughout the film.

“Off The Boulevard” is available for pre-order at santofilms.com and BoondockSaints.com for $14.99 through September 7.

Can we now say we’re burdened with an overabundance?

Boondock Saints fanatics, rejoice. After a 10 year dearth, the recent string of output from the franchise is certainly a welcome surprise for the fanbase whose enthusiasm for the franchise has led to its luminary cult status.

On the heels of the recent DVD release of "Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day," two additional announcements have come out of Camp Saints.

First, the soundtrack that played such a vital role in the second movie is now available on the Boondock Saints website, as well as Hot Topic, FYE, iTunes and Amazon, and will be hitting the shelves of other major retailers soon. The soundtrack features contributions from writer/director Troy Duffy’s brother, Taylor, as well as Kid Rock-endorsed (for whatever that’s worth) recording artist Ty Stone, and an exquisitely tasteful Sean C track called "Balls Deep."

Second, a taster for the upcoming comic series, "The Boondock Saints: In Nomine Patris," called "The Lost Gig" has been released for the iPad and in plain-old comic book form everywhere. The comic was actually written by Troy Duffy, and features the MacManus brothers and every Saints fan’s favorite shaggy sidekick, Rocco as they wreak havoc in a whole new storyline, meant to take place right before the Saint’s famous courtroom encounter with Vincenzo.

Let the capitalization of a beloved franchise begin.

I came across "The Boondock Saints" the same way everybody who wasn’t a Hollywood insider in the late 90′s did. A friend handed me the DVD in middle school and said, "Dude, you have to watch this." I did, and like so many others, I adored it. It’s an entertaining film about two Irish brothers on a mission of divine justice that was made for a budget third of Joe Mauer’s annual salary and has since gone on to become the biggest cult film in decades. The word of mouth campaign that helped the film achieve its status and its complete rejection by the mainstream film industry has created an ardent fan base that has developed a special relationship with the film and anxiously waited 10 years for last November’s sequel, "The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day."

In congruence with the sequel’s release on Blu-Ray/DVD, some of the franchise’s most notable figures embarked on a 10th Anniversary Tour, including a stop in the film’s principle setting, Boston, on St. Patrick’s Day to make appearances and host a concert at the Paradise Rock Cafe that night.

I was immediately confronted with the fanaticism the franchise has fostered within its fans upon arriving at the club for a mid-afternoon interview to find fans already lining up in front of it for a show that was more than six hours away. Pretty impressive for a 10-year-old franchise that no major studio would even consider touching.

Soon enough, three of the four interviewees (actors Daniel deSanto, Bob Marley, and David della Rocco) arrived outside the club. I got the sense from watching them interact with some of their more die-hard (and apparently jobless) fans that they fully appreciate how special it is to be part of a project that evokes the kind of emotion "The Boondock Saints" does from people. Despite already being behind schedule, all three of the actors eschewed prodding from PR people and producers alike to get them into the club to not only take pictures and sign autographs for the fans, but to really talk to them and establish a connection. I got the sense that the three were enjoying the interactions as much, if not more, than their fans.

I was most apprehensive about the fourth interviewee, writer/director Troy Duffy, whose abrasive nature was the subject of a documentary, "Overnight," which I brilliantly decided to watch the night before the interview. I knew it was stupid, especially since I was press, but what if I said something wrong and he launched into a tirade and ruined my interview (and quite possibly scarred me for life)?

As you will soon see, the four men couldn’t have been nicer or a more enjoyable interview. It has been a long time since the release of the first film, but all of them seem to thoroughly enjoy the spotlight once again shining on them, and made my experience with them as pleasant as they have all their fans. Not bad for my first interview.

Cult films are a dangerous thing. Sometimes great, sometimes not, they create a fervor and devotion usually saved for fringe religious groups and third party candidates. And the films make their way into the canon of filmic classics, whether or not they deserve to be there.

There is only one thing more dangerous than a cult film. A cult sequel.

I was once an acolyte who worshiped at the altar of "The Boondock Saints," the 1999 comedic thriller about two Irish brothers in Boston who decide to become vigilantes. I saw the film when I was 16, right before I was about to move to Boston. Perhaps it was the gritty Southie cache that resonated with me, or the idea of two good-looking Irish boys saving Boston from danger, but I was in love. I’d lost touch with the movie until last week, when I saw the sequel.

It didn’t matter that I hadn’t seen it in a couple years. It was the exact same movie.

The plot’s a bit different: our anti-heroes Connor and Murphy (Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus, respectively) are on the lam in Ireland by their father (Billy Connolly) after killing numerous mobsters in Boston. After a mysterious villain starts mimicking the Saints reverent killing style, they return to Beantown to take up their savage quest. They’re pursued by another FBI agent, this time a woman- Julie Benz, who does a truly spectacular job stepping into Willem Dafoe’s airy shoes, even with half of her scenes being slow camera shots up her gamine profile. We also get a protracted back story about the boys’ father, a righteous murderer in his own right.

But the cult sequel is a very big problem because it’s made for the fans, and the fans alone. Outsiders are not just ignored, they are actively discouraged. This would not be so terrible, if not for the fact that Troy Duffy, the mastermind behind the “Saints,” decided that the only way to appease his fans would be to simply make the movie again. So we have the two boys who plot to kill bad guys based around action flicks they’ve seen. We have the hilarious, vaguely ethnic sidekick (the last one got offed in the first film). We have the religious imagery, the filthy dialogue, the stylized shoot-outs and a wily Southern FBI agent with a feminine drawl. There’s even a reference to rope- one of the first film’s best gags.

All-in-all, it’s less a movie and more of an inside joke. And as we all know, boys and girls, inside jokes are only funny to the ones who know what you’re talking about. For those who are fans of the first film, this will be a welcome diversion. Duffy is a truly wonderful screenwriter, and his dialogue clips along at a good pace. Reedus and Flanery are excellent; it’s as if they’d just stepped off the set of the first film last week. And I really did enjoy watching Benz take a luscious bite out of the scenery around her. There are surprises too- and if I spoiled any of them I’m sure I would have gold coins on my eyes by the end of the week, so let’s move on.

But if you don’t know what I mean when I talk about gold coins, or rope or that wicked funny scene with the cat, then chances are “Saints II” will only leave you slightly dizzy, and more than slightly confused. As for me, a die-hard fan of yore, I suddenly realized that somewhere between 16 years old and today, this movie had lost its cult status in my heart. It was still a good movie, sure. So is the sequel. But in terms of my devotion, I guess I’ve been deprogrammed.

Here’s everything you could ask about “Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day.”

Information provided by the studio.

Apparition and Stage 6 Films
present
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day
Screenplay by and Directed by Troy Duffy

Main Cast

Sean Patrick Flanery: Connor MacManus

Norman Reedus: Murphy MacManus

Billy Connolly: Poppa M

Clifton Collins, Jr.: Romeo

Julie Benz: Special Agent Eunice Bloom

Peter Fonda: The Roman

Judd Nelson: Concezio Yakavetta

David Della Rocco: Rocco

Bob Marley: Detective Greenly

Brian Mahoney: Detective Duffy

David Ferry: Detective Dolly

Official Synopsis

“Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day” is the much-anticipated action sequel from Apparition and Stage 6 Films that picks up ten years after writer/director Troy Duffy’s THE BOONDOCK SAINTS, the tough, stylized, vigilante-justice saga that captured a massive cult following.

“Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day.” opens with fraternal twins Connor and Murphy MacManus deep in hiding in Ireland with their father, the enigmatic and notorious Il Duce from the first film (now known as “Poppa M”). The MacManus family has been living on an isolated sheep farm, as fugitives due to the slayings they religiously and notoriously perpetrated on Boston’s criminal underworld a decade before, including the very public execution of the city’s biggest crime lord. But the brothers have never forgotten the city they left behind, and when word that a beloved Boston priest has been slain and the killing made to look as though the Saints are responsible, Connor and Murphy cut their hair, dig up their rosaries and guns, suit up in their signature pea-coats armed with their .9MM and bid goodbye to their ailing father and smuggle themselves back to Boston to hunt down the real killers. Once again, they mount a violent and bloody crusade to bring justice to those responsible. This time they are aided by a Latino named Romeo, whose connections with the powerful “underground” Hispanic mob will help the brothers wreak revenge on the real killers.

The screen is filled with kick-ass gunplay and stunts throughout as the brothers take us on a roller coaster ride through the streets of Boston. Working the case are Boston detectives Greenly, Duffy and Dolly from the first film, who are sympathetic to the Saints (and complicit). They are joined in the investigation by the street smart and sexy FBI Special Agent Eunice Bloom, a protĩgĩ of FBI Special Agent Paul Smecker from the first movie.

As the central action unfolds, the film reveals a deeper mystery that gives insight into the MacManus family’s legacy of violence, with twists, turns and flashbacks to characters from the first film that help deepen the audience’s understanding of the complexities behind the vigilantes’ motives.

The film has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America and has a runtime of 117 minutes. The film will be released in select theaters on October 30.

There will be some spoilers in the podcast. Click at your own risk.

Now that the movie has been shown to fans, we can finally sit down and talk about it.

I saw “Boondock Saints II” last week. I liked it.

I didn’t like it in the way that I’m a news editor and occasional film critic. I didn’t love it in the way that I’m an artist and I can appreciate a classic piece of film.

Let’s face it, there’s two kinds of people in the world: The ones that love “The Boondock Saints” and the ones who hate “The Boondock Saints.”

And I love “The Boondock Saints.”

Shit, I put it on the cover. But I’m not a damn fanboy. I’m not a fanboy about anything. In fact, the more I like something, the harder I tend to be on the people in charge. You can ask the people at Sony when PlayStation 3 first came out, and you can ask Boondock writer/director Troy Duffy, because I changed the pace on Monday and asked him some pointed questions.

What you’re going to hear in the podcast on the top of this article is my session on one of a series of roundtable interviews that Duffy and actors Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, and Billy Connolly put on at The Black Rose bar in downtown Boston. We had a good time and we laughed throughout most of the 20-minute session, but I was on a mission to bring home some data for this piece of our month-long coverage on the sequel, “All Saints Day.” But, besides that, the podcast is mostly hilariousness and gay jokes.

“It was just like riding a bicycle,” Duffy said about his return to directing.

“He sucked equally on this one as he did in the first one,” Flanery added after a pause, laughing.

But return it is. Duffy made Boondock in 1999 and hasn’t made a film since. He was a young director coming out to Hollywood, and he made some mistakes — and I’m probably being nice here. But he still managed to make a good movie amidst it all.

“They talk about Troy as a new director, but from day one it looks as if he was doing it his whole life,” Connolly said.

Just as people either love or hate Boondock, they either love or hate Duffy. (The Documentary “Overnight” really hurt him too)

The people in the original movie seem to be loyalists. Nearly everybody — including someone you don’t expect (it’s in the podcast) — is back for the sequel.

“Everything just happened,” Connolly said. “Everybody seemed to be there for the love of the piece, not just to be in a movie or earn some money.”

It showed. When you listen to the podcast and check out our other interviews, you’ll hear how good of a time they all had making both movies.

Boondock is an organic cult success, and the cast and crew know it.

“Half of Boondock was one guy sitting another guy down going ‘you’re watching this movie,’” Duffy said.

Will there be a third movie?

“Lets just ride this one into the shore and see what happens,” Duffy said. “I got some ideas.”

It’s also up to the studio and the fans. If the sequel makes money in theaters, I say bet on a trilogy.

At the end, I asked Duffy what we could expect from him going forward.

“During that 10-year period, I have written a bunch of scripts,” he said, “and I intend to knock them down like dominoes one by one. They’re in ascending budgets, all different stories. One is a period piece, a buddy comedy, a black comedy, one is about serial killers, one is called “The Peregrines” which would take me an hour to describe what the’s about, one is about a historical figure, which will take a lot of money to do that last one.”

The four guys also toured Boston College and Emerson College before premiering the movie for fans on Monday night. Here’s a vid from their day:

“Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day” is in theaters October 30.