It’s pretty uncommon to see a movie acquired at Sundance go on to get the sequel treatment. Then again, everything about the 2018 thriller Searching is out of the ordinary. While there’ve been a few successful films over the past few years that play out almost exclusively from the point of view of computer screens (Unfriended, The Den, etc.), none have been able to pull it off as well as this flick did. Studio executives clearly agree, as the critically-acclaimed Aneesh Chaganty feature is reportedly getting a sequel.
After buying the project for $5 million, Sony’s Stage 6 Films likely imagined that the under-the-radar pic would earn them back a modest return on their investment. They never could’ve dreamed that Searching would go on to gross $75 million worldwide. Clearly, the clever premise and eerie trailer struck a chord with audiences, as plenty of moviegoers came out in droves to watch the desperate protagonist find out what happened to his daughter.
The original flick starred John Cho as a father on a cyber quest to find his missing daughter and along the way, he discovers plenty of secrets that she was keeping from him. As the story continues to unravel, the mystery gets deep and darker and the movie is full of twists and turns that have viewers guessing right up until the vey end.
Thankfully, it sounds like the same creative team has been asked to return in order to craft a plot just as captivating as the first. Though nothing has been confirmed about the storyline yet, it seems probable that the sequel will use the same storytelling structure as its predecessor. It also stands to reason that this next installment will follow new characters.
It’s currently unknown when the follow-up to Searching will hit theaters, but keep checking We Got This Covered for more news as it breaks.
