WHEN Jamaican-inspired movie Diary of a Badman premiered at local cinemas last Wednesday, it attracted of scores of patrons, including local thespians and entertainment fraternity members.

Also present were some of the movie’s cast, including Jacinth Sutphin and Douglas A Robbs, supporting actor Richard Bird, and director Diemiruaya Deniran.

In a discussion with the Jamaica Observer, the cast revealed they would be returning during last quarter of this year to commence the filming of a sequel: The Diary of a Badman Part 2.

According to Sutphin, the team is aiming to deliver the sequel in short order.

“Filming time will take no longer than a month, as we will be working back to back. We are looking towards filming in sections of Tivoli Gardens, Montego Bay, Portland, and Portmore. We will also be getting assistance from Jampro (Jamaica Promotions Corporation),” she said.

The St Mary-born Sutphin said the sequel’s cast would include local actors and crew, which would create some employment in the sector.

Not letting out much about the plot, the actress said that the sequel is expected to be even more intriguing.

“Bucky (Bailey) will be deported to Jamaica. Hence, the filming here in Jamaica; and, of course, he will go searching for me,” she said.

Sutphin said the cast has high hopes for both films.

“We hope that this film will represent well and that our Jamaican actors can cross over. We don’t have any Jamaican shows on stations in the United States and we want that. We have lots of talents here (in Jamaica) and we want them to go mainstream,” she said.

The cast members said they are delighted with the feedback so far and the support the show has been receiving.

“We are really grateful and the viewers expressed how surprised they were that it was not the typical stereotype ‘badman’ show that people expected,” said Robbs, who plays the role of the notorius Winston ‘Bucky’ Bailey.

Although he has no formal training, the Brooklyn-born Robbs is no stranger to the cameras. He has landed roles in other low-budget films, such as the Artifice, Fuego, and another of Deniran’s productions called Reserved Notes.

“I am currently taking courses at Federal Theatre. I came into the field with raw talent,” he said.

In preparation for his role as drug dealer Winston ‘Bucky’ Bailey, Robbs said he watched a lot of Jamaican documentaries in order to understand the culture and interacted with several Jamaicans to get a grip on the accent.

The 130-minute Diary Of A Badman was shot in sections of New York and New Jersey. The plot surrounds Sutphin, who plays Simone Williams — a Jamaican immigrant to the United States — who is working undercover on a high-profile case. Her target is Bailey.

Also showing in the Cayman Islands, Diary of a Badman will make its London debut on May 26. It won Best Feature Film at last year’s inaugural Jampro Film Festival in Kingston.