Did you spend hours as a kid enjoying the Nintendo Power Glove II? How about those joyous weekends watching Showgirls: The Next Generation, or playing Superman 64 Returns? Of course you didn’t, because none of these things actually exist. Typically, only successful products get sequels, while horribly unsuccessful ones are discarded or written off as lessons to be learned from.
All of which makes the idea for a real life Titanic II ship sound frankly bonkers. But it’s apparently happening, and 2,400 passengers and 900 crew members will have the opportunity to travel on it. The ambitious project will set out to recreate an exact replica of the original ship (which — spoiler alert! — hit an iceberg and sank in 1912), only with the benefit of modern technology and a few more lifeboats. For the most part, however, the emphasis will be on historical details, such as recreating the cabin layout of the original.
“The ship will follow the original journey, carrying passengers from Southampton to New York,” Chairman of Blue Star Line Clive Palmer said in a statement. “But she will also circumnavigate the globe, inspiring and enchanting people while attracting unrivaled attention, intrigue and mystery in every port she visits.”
The planned two-week maiden voyage will take place in 2022, 110 years after its predecessor set sail. It will journey from Dubai to Southampton, England, before heading to New York — hopefully without any unexpected waterlogged layovers en route.
Appropriately enough, efforts to relaunch the Titanic haven’t exactly been smooth sailing. The project began back in 2012, only to be halted as the result of a financial dispute. However, now that this issue has been resolved in the favor of Clive Palmer’s company, things seem to be moving ahead again at full speed.
“In 1912 the Titanic was the ship of dreams,” Palmer continued. “For over a century Titanic’s legend has been powered by mystery, intrigue and respect for all she stood for. Millions have dreamt of sailing on her, seeing her in port, and experiencing her unique majesty. Titanic ll will be the ship where those dreams come true.”
I mean, surely nothing bad can happen to the same ship twice? Then again, we’re pretty sure that’s the reasoning that John McClane used to reassure himself at the start of Die Hard II.
