You’d have thought it might be easy for a producer with Jason Blum’s track record of box office success to get whatever projects he chooses off the ground, but that doesn’t appear to be the case for Happy Death Day 3, which has remained mired in development hell even though writer and director Christopher Landon revealed last September that the script was written and awaiting approval.
The first installment was a huge hit, hauling in $125 million at the box office on a budget of less than $5 million, and drew plenty of critical praise for its inventive premise. The sequel wasn’t quite as successful, though, but a tally just shy of $65 million against $9 million in production costs still ensured that it was profitable in the long run.
In a new interview, Blum admitted that Happy Death Day 2U making half as much money as its predecessor has made Universal a little reluctant to officially green light a third film, but he sounds as though he’s still a long way away from giving up hope.
“I’m not giving up. That’s like the next Purge movie. There’s nothing official. I think Chris Landon’s one of the most talented filmmakers we’ve ever worked with. We continue to work with. And I want to continue that franchise some way. It’s what happens when the box office really falls off on a second movie, it’s much more challenging to keep it going, but I’m going to try. I’ve got some ideas up my sleeve.”
Happy Death Day star Jessica Rothe has voiced her interest in a potential crossover with body swap slasher comedy Freaky, which was also co-written and helmed by Landon, something the filmmaker revealed he was certainly open to exploring. Landon is a Blumhouse favorite thanks to the aforementioned titles and his work on the Paranormal Activity franchise, having written every entry since the opener including the upcoming Paramount+ reboot, while he also directed The Marked Ones, but it looks like we’ll just have to cross our fingers and hope that Happy Death Day 3 eventually comes together behind the scenes despite doubts on the studio’s part.