Update: Inge Colsen of Girlie Action, the PR firm for Pussy Riot, released a statement from the group denying that they will appear in a "Spring Breakers" sequel:

"This news is ridiculous. It's not true we're in talks with 'Spring Breakers' producers and we have no plans to do that," the statement read.

Variety has reported that Russian punk protest band Pussy Riot may appear in the upcoming sequel to "Spring Breakers."

According to Variety, prominent members of the band, Nadezhda "Nadya" Tolokonnikova and Maria "Masha" Alyokhina, may talk with the producers of "Spring Breakers: Second Coming" at Cannes film festival. Although not confirmed, the girls are supposedly scheduled to arrive with Cinema For Peace Foundation chairman Jaka Bizjili on May 22. During their three-day stay they will meet with producers Chris and Roberta Hanley, and director Jonas Akerlund.

"Pussy Riot somehow came into being concomitant with the original 'Spring Breakers,' which was pure coincidence. The original 'Spring Breakers' theme was the plying away of the facade of a new American dream of becoming rich by any means," said Chris Hanley to Variety. "'Second Coming' addresses societal limitations, women having a voice to decide on the rights of their own bodies against moral limitations by religious, militant cult groups, in a spring break setting, where our 'Spring Breakers' girls take power into their own hands once again!"

The first "Spring Breakers" focused on the story of four college girls whose spring vacation spirals into a dangerous journey into crime and drugs. James Franco, who starred in the first film, publicly criticized the new project on Instagram.

"The original was wholly Harmony's creation and these producers are capitalizing on that innovative film to make money on a weak sequel," said Franco. "I want everyone to know that whoever is involved in the sequel is jumping on board a poison ship. It will be a terrible film, with a horrible reason d'etre: to make money off someone else's creativity."

Chris Hanley responded to Franco's comments.

"Since there are some suggestions in the reporting on 'Second Coming' that it is a 'weak' or 'lame' sequel, the new Irvine Welsh screenplay has the strongest feminine voice of the 'Spring Breakers' characters so far. And Nadya and Maria of Pussy Riot are a powerful new voice of world feminism. We are all into radical innovations."

Pussy Riot first gained international fame with their protests against Russian president Vladimir Putin. Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina were arrested and imprisoned for performing at Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior.