Blumhouse Productions had an incredible 2017 with titles like Get Out and Split, but not to be ignored is the success of Happy Death Day. Arriving just in time for the Halloween season, the tiny time loop film not only made five times its budget in its opening weekend, but ultimately pulled down more than $115 million worldwide. It's the kind of win that generally secures a follow-up in this industry, and according to would-be star Jessica Rothe, writer/director Chris Landon has some genre-bending material waiting for Happy Death Day 2 that will begin right where the last movie left off - Back To The Future style. She recently explained,
Chris has done this incredible thing where the sequel, the way he described it to me, elevates the movie from being a horror movie -- and I wouldn't even say it's just a horror movie because it's a horror, comedy, rom-com drama -- into a Back to the Future-type of genre film where the sequel joins us right from where we left off, it explains a lot of things in the first one that didn't get explained, and it elevates everything. I was really pleased to know that we weren't just gonna be pushing all the buttons that people loved the first time, over and over again, 'cause I think that gets old.
The first Happy Death Day, which earned a positive critical reception in addition to a whole bunch of money, was a fun horror twist on Groundhog Day, and it seems that the fun is only just beginning. Jessica Rothe, who is now currently appearing in the movie Forever My Girl, recently told Collider that Happy Death Day 2 is up and running in development, and will continue the story from right where it ended, answering some major questions along the way.
SPOILER WARNING: If you have not yet seen Happy Death Day, you may want to stop reading here, as there are spoilers ahead. Read on at your own risk!
In the first Happy Death Day, Jessica Rothe's Tree Gelbman finds herself in serious trouble when she not only finds herself repeating her birthday over and over again, but discovers that they day doesn't end until she is murdered by a serial killer. The only way to break the cycle is to avoid dying and discover who is responsible... which she does when she learns that her roommate Lori (Ruby Modine) is the real killer. A final confrontation stops the time loop affecting Tree, the final shot finding the protagonist and her new boyfriend (Israel Broussard) happy and chatting about Groundhog Day at a diner, though it's never actually explained why it all happened in the first place. Going by what Rothe says, it sounds like we can expect some major answers in Happy Death Day 2, which is very exciting for a lot of reasons.
Chris Landon has been thinking about his plan for Happy Death Day 2 since before the release of the first movie -- and hopefully it won't be too long before he gets to execute his vision. Frankly, because the movie is Back To The Future-esque in the way it picks up the story, it sounds like the follow-up would benefit from being made quickly, and ensuring that stars Jessica Rothe and Israel Broussard don't change too much. Regardless of when production starts, however, you can be sure that CinemaBlend will be keeping a close eye on it, so stay tuned for more details.
