Without a doubt, Fede Alvarez’s Don’t Breathe was one of the very best horror films of the year. With strong reviews across the board and a respectable box office take, it’s no surprise that we’re getting a sequel. There’d been murmurs of one for a while now, and while chatting to Coming Soon to promote the film’s Blu-ray release, Alvarez and producer Rodo Sayagues finally confirmed it.
“Is it all true?” says Alvarez. “Yeah, it’s true. We’re putting together the story right now. Obviously, there’s a book and there’s a script that’s great. Because we write everything I direct, we’re working on that part right now to make it our own and put our imprint in it so it feels like it’s part of our filmography.”
“There’s also going to be more ‘Don’t Breathe,’” adds Alvarez’s producer and co-writer Rodo Sayagues.
“We just started, but we know exactly where it goes,” Alvarez teases. “But we won’t tell you right now. But there will be more ‘Don’t Breathe’ for sure.”
While it’s nice to hear that plans for a sequel are underway, it’s important to keep in mind that a follow-up hasn’t received an official greenlight just yet. However, due to the success of Don’t Breathe, we imagine it won’t have much trouble getting the go ahead from the studio. After all, the original did manage to gross $150 million on a budget of just $10 million.
Whether or not Alvarez will return to direct is also unclear at this point, as he’s now committed to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo sequel, The Girl in the Spider’s Web. We’re hopeful that he’ll have time for both, but it’s possible that someone else may have to step in and helm Don’t Breathe 2.
Either way, things certainly sound promising for the sequel. Chatting with Cinema Blend, producer Sam Raimi revealed that “it’s only the greatest idea for a sequel that I’ve ever heard! I’m not kidding!” Bold words to be sure, but we really have no reason to doubt him. Don’t Breathe was an intense, creative and well-executed thrill ride that hit the mark on almost every count, and we’re pretty confident that with Alvarez’s involvement (even if it’s only via writing the script), a sequel can easily recapture that magic.
