While sequels are far from guaranteed, if a movie is successful, it immediately provokes questions to see if there will be any more. The horror movie genre is one area that is still filled with successful franchises – from the reinvigorated Halloween and Scream sagas, to the multi-billion dollar Conjuring universe.
Therefore when Scott Derrickson’s The Black Phone made $150 million, it of course had people asking for sequel, even if it seemed as though it had a self-contained story. Black Phone is set in the 1970s and feels inspired by both Steph(v)ens – Spielberg and King. This isn’t entirely surprising, as King’s son Joe Hill wrote the short story that it’s based on.
Speaking to ScreenRant recently regarding a sequel, Derrickson said; “I’m chewing on some ideas. I’m not in a super big rush right now, but obviously, everybody wants there to be a sequel because the movie did so well. It’s something I’d like to do, but of course, I’ll only do it if it can be great.”
In June, before it was known how big of a success Black Phone would be, Derrickson said; “Joe Hill pitched me a wonderful idea for a sequel to Black Phone that, if this movie does well, I’m gonna do it. He’s got a great idea, I really liked it. Joe’s very protective and personal about his material, but he came to me with the idea and I was like, ‘That’s how you do a sequel to Black Phone. That’s terrific.”
Given how things panned out at the end of The Black Phone, it looks as though most of the key players would be new or different. It could keep the same setting and future sequels could be set in different decades, such as the 80s and 90s.
While we wait for more news on The Black Phone 2, check out our guide to the best 80s movies.