Is The Strangers 2 In Trouble?

UPDATE: The status of The Strangers 2 is unclear after the death of Marcel Langenegger, as reported on Twitter by producer Dean Devlin:

The world lost a beautiful soul, Marcel Langenegger. I am lucky to have known him. Our hearts goes out to his family https://t.co/gR8n5jJD66

— Dean Devlin (@Dean_Devlin) September 13, 2015

ORIGINAL: Though The Strangers successfully scared the hell out of audiences (and put director Bryan Bertino on the map), a sequel has yet to materialize, and it seems like every time buzz about one starts to build, it’s undercut a little while later.

And so it is that, despite Deception‘s Marcel Langenegger being tapped for the director’s chair and Ben Ketai (Chosen) emerging as a scribe last January, The Strangers 2 is now reportedly a long way off from rolling cameras.

Talking with Collider, producer Roy Lee has revealed that Relativity’s recent bankruptcy put the kibosh on any progress with the horror sequel. Apparently, though Ketai’s script is still kicking around at the studio, the issue is getting enough money to make a movie out of it.

“We have a script that’s fantastic,” he said, “but they’ve had some financial difficulties so it’s unclear as to whether or not they’ll be able to finance the movie.”

So basically, don’t hold your breath for that previously rumored December 2016 release date. Though the grounded, small-scale nature of The Strangers 2 would lend itself to a speedy shoot, it doesn’t sound like Relativity is in any position to be pushing it forward right now.

Of course, that Lee is actually even talking about the movie is still slightly good news. That means there’s still some interest in making The Strangers 2 happen somewhere down the line, once the budgetary needs can be met.

In terms of plot, it was previously revealed that a sequel will focus on a family tormented by the same three strangers – the Man in the Mask, Pin Up Girl, and Dollface – who terrorized Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman’s characters in the first movie. In the Collider interview, Lee teased another wrinkle to the setup, saying, “It’s connected in the sense of ‘What if you moved into an area where the Strangers lived?’”

The first Strangers was a nasty, taut, thrilling piece of home-invasion horror, so seeing a sequel would certainly be interesting, but it sounds like plans for one are currently on ice. Here’s hoping Relativity can work out its financial woes and get this movie moving, before too much time passes and the studio decides (as is unfortunately customary these days) that a simple reboot would make more financial sense.