New A Quiet Place: Part II Photo Introduces Cillian Murphy’s Stranger

It appears we’ve only just scratched the surface of John Krasinski’s alien-infested world.

A Quiet Place, the 2018 sleeper hit, thrust viewers into the thick of an apocalyptic wasteland. The human race has been decimated, blind extra-terrestrials have inherited the Earth, and a single sound – regardless of whether it’s a squeak or a scream – could be your last. Without divulging too much, it’s a fiercely original thriller that pushes you towards the edge of your seat, and while Krasinski’s directorial breakout is relatively self-contained, the story will continue later this year with A Quiet Place: Part II.

Slated for a theatrical release in March, the horror sequel expands the lore far beyond the Abbott family, offering a better look at this ravaged world and those who managed to survive. But as Cillian Murphy’s character intones: “the people that are left? They’re not the kind of people worth saving.”

Thanks to Total Film, we can at least confirm the identity of Murphy’s stranger: Emmet, who “represents the heart of the world.”

For me, Emmett represents where the heart of the world lies right now, which is: finally feeling like they’ve all given up. Here comes this girl [Regan] who allows you to believe in more, and allows you to believe in yourself. That idea, I’ve always been really enthralled by.

It seems Cillian Murphy’s character will play a central role in Part II, given he crosses paths with Evelyn Abbott (Emily Blunt) and her children, Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Marcus (Noah Jupe). As for Murphy’s own journey into the Quiet Place universe, the actor went on to tell Total Film that he began writing an email to writer-director John Krasinski after being “blown away” by his 2018 horror flick.

I was blown away by [A Quiet Place]! I was like, ‘I’m going to write an email to John Krasinski, because that was an amazing piece of work.’ So I wrote the email. And then I was like, ‘Ah, that’s so cheesy,’ and I never sent it. A year later, I got a call saying, ‘Would you be interested in A Quiet Place 2?’

Another gruelling journey awaits the Abbott family later this year, when A Quiet Place: Part II slithers into theaters. The sequel’s debut trailer hinted at a number of flashback scenes to the initial invasion (assuming that’s what really happened, of course), so don’t be too surprised if John Krasinski himself returns to reprise the role of Lee.