Steve Vai Shuts Down the ‘Crossroads’ Sequel Buzz, and Says He’d Pass Anyway
Steve Vai says he is not involved in any Crossroads sequel and would turn it down if asked, tracing the rumor to possible NAMM chatter.
A fresh burst of Crossroads sequel chatter had fans wondering if Jack Butler was headed for another showdown. Steve Vai says that is not the case, and he adds that he would not sign on even if the call came.
The immediate change is simple: Vai has publicly rejected the idea that he is attached to a follow-up to the 1986 film Crossroads, where he played the Devil’s guitarist, Jack Butler. In the SiriusXM interview referenced in the clip below, he gave a direct no when asked whether there was any truth to the rumor.
That undercuts the speculation that had spread this week around an updated version of the movie. The project had been linked to original scriptwriter John Fusco and star Ralph Macchio, and Vai had also been quoted in connection with a revenge angle for Butler after the character’s loss in the first film. Vai said there was nothing to that.
How a possible reunion appears to have turned into a sequel story
Vai said the rumor seems to have grown out of something much smaller: the possibility of seeing Macchio at NAMM. He said someone contacted him to say Macchio knew he would be there and thought it would be nice if the two of them met.
According to Vai, he has not seen Macchio since Crossroads was made. He said that over the years, people have passed along greetings between them, and he has done the same in return. He added that there is a chance they could get together and talk during NAMM, and that this may have leaked and turned into talk of a rematch.
Why he is not interested in revisiting it
Vai did not stop at denying present involvement. He said that if he were asked to take part, his answer would be, "No thanks." When Joe Satriani joked that he could not wait, Vai repeated the point.
He also explained why the idea does not appeal to him. Vai said Crossroads was a major production, describing it as a $30 million movie, or thereabouts, that took a tremendous amount of direction and work. He questioned how anyone would make something now that could stand up to the original climactic guitar battle scene without the backing of a movie studio.
Crossroads was loosely based on the life story of early blues figure Robert Johnson. It did poorly on its original release, then found a cult audience on home video. That long afterlife is part of why the latest rumor got attention, especially among fans who remember Butler’s duel with Macchio’s Eugene Martone. For now, though, Vai’s position is clear: he is not part of any sequel plan, and he has no interest in making one happen himself.
