"Greed is good". Again! The movie sequel, Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps will be released in the US on April 23rd 2010.  Michael Douglas reprises the central role of corporate raider, Gordon Gekko. His other famous quote, ‘lunch is for wimps’, also entered the national consciousness when the original movie was seen in 1987. Oliver Stone directs once again and Charlie Sheen re-appears as Bud Fox, but in a cameo role this time. Stewart Copeland (ex-Police drummer and composer of several film scores) also returns to create the soundtrack. Locations for the new film are reported to be New York City (including the Federal Reserve Bank), Dubai, and London.

It was a very different world in 1987 when city traders were living the high life and being rewarded handsomely. Wall Street caught the spirit of the times, as fortunes were made and hedonism was celebrated. It all went wrong for Gekko however, when he was convicted for insider trading and sent to prison. Now, it’s 2008 and he’s back in the outside world, confronted with the dark clouds appearing in the economy. Gekko was painted as an unsavory character in the original film, as he ruthlessly stripped the assets of companies, although some people hailed him as a hero! In the sequel, he is less of a villain, as he sets about trying to warn everyone that the New York stock market is going to crash.

Gekko also tries to mend his relationship with his estranged daughter, Winnie, played by Carey Mulligan (Public Enemies). Shia LaBeouf (Transformers and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) plays Jake Moore, a Wall Street trader and Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men and Milk) plays hedge fund manager, Bretton James. Susan Sarandon and Frank Langella are in support. 

StarReviews Top 3 Stock Trading Websites

1) Zecco Trading

2) eTrade Financial

3) TD Ameritrade

Compare All Stock Trading Websites

The role of Gordon Gekko did much to boost the career of Michael Douglas. Gekko went beyond being a mere character and came to symbolize the greed of the 1980s. His slicked back hair and braces were the 80’s look for the career climbing city types.  His quotes from the movie were used to both defend and attack the quest for wealth, depending on your point of view. Douglas won the Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal and will always be associated with it.

The film’s release is timely as the world is struggling with recession and no doubt, will still be facing problems in April 2010. Oliver Stone had not intended to direct the sequel but changed his mind because of the relevance of the story in our current times. The financial world is one he is familiar with, as his father was a successful Wall Street broker. The sequel is also a personal story in which Gekko is searching for a kind of redemption.