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Posted: Tue., Jan. 30, 2007, 7:37pm PT

Inside Move: 'Departed' to arise?

Monahan makes case for sequel

'The Departed'

'The Departed' could return with a sequel, despite the fact that many characters were killed off.

It's hard to imagine making a sequel to "The Departed," considering almost every character is killed off.

But that's not stopping "Departed" scribe William Monahan from trying. He's even tossed about the idea with Martin Scorsese, albeit informally.

Monahan, who is reportedly working on a treatment, isn't without precedent in making his argument for another go.

There were actually two follow-ups to Hong Kong box office hit "Infernal Affairs," upon which Scorsese's "Departed" was based.

"Infernal Affairs 2" was a prequel, while "Infernal Affairs 3" focused on the character played by Matt Damon. Here's the hitch -- Damon's character is killed off in "Departed," but not in the Hong Kong original.

There's no indication that Scorsese would direct a sequel, although he could always board as a producer. Likewise, Warner Bros. hasn't given any sign as to whether it would pursue another installment.

Still, no one wants to walk away from a good thing -- especially a Hollywood studio.

Contact Pamela McClintock at pamela.mcclintock@variety.com

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