Despite largely negative reviews for last year’s Ouija, Universal is still pushing ahead with a sequel to the teen-targeted frightener, emboldened by the first film’s massive returns. Mike Flanagan and Jeff Howard, who penned the script for Flanagan’s 2013 horror hit Oculus, scribed the follow-up, which has been set for the Halloween-friendly release date of Oct. 21, 2016.
Ouija 2, as it’s tentatively titled, will likely see Olivia Cooke and Ana Coto return as sisters Laine and Sarah Morris, who encountered evil forces after attempting, along with friends, to use an ancient Ouija Board to contact a friend who took her own life after playing around with the same object. Alternatively, the sequel could follow a completely new group of ill-fated teenagers, but if Universal is looking to turn Ouija into a solid franchise, securing Cooke for multiple pictures makes a lot of sense.
The first film, released in the Halloween frame last year, grossed $50 million domestically and over $100 million worldwide against a minuscule budget of $5 million. Production company Blumhouse Productions has made its name crafting similarly successful yet micro-budgeted horror pics, from Paranormal Activity to Insidious, so the bottom line for Ouija was really business as usual. Notably, the film was also Hasbro’s first horror movie, so it makes sense that the toy company’s subsidiary production studio would want to capitalize on its success with another installment.
Some heavy hitters are producing, including Platinum Dunes’ partners Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, Blumhouse Productions’ Jason Blum, and Hasbro’s Brian Goldner and Stephen Davis.
We’ll have more news on the plot of Ouija 2 as it hits. Until then, though, tell us, what did you think of the first installment? Did Ouija warrant a follow-up, or would you rather see another recent horror pic get the sequel treatment? Sound off below.
