The Black Phone Director Reveals Sequel Requirement

Summary

• Director Scott Derrickson hints that a sequel to The Black Phone is possible, but only if Ethan Hawke reprises his role as the terrifying villain.
• The Black Phone was both a commercial success and critically acclaimed, with praise for Hawke’s portrayal of the depraved villain.
• While not a sequel, Derrickson’s upcoming project, V/H/S/85, includes a subtle crossover reference to The Black Phone, connecting the two stories in the same universe.

The Black Phone director Scott Derrickson says a sequel to the film is possible, but there is one condition. The 2021 supernatural horror starred Ethan Hawke as The Grabber, a mask-wearing child abductor and killer living in Denver in the 1970s. Derrickson believes a sequel would only be worthwhile with Hawke’s reprisal of the film’s terrifying villain. In a recent interview with Comicbook.com, the director spoke on the possibility of revisiting the story:

“It’s possible. It’s not a definite thing, but if it does become definite, you’ll be the first to hear… I can tell you this much, I wouldn’t make a ‘Black Phone’ sequel without Ethan. I don’t think there’d be any point in doing that.”

Following its 2021 release, The Black Phone became a box office hit (grossing a worldwide total of $161.4 million) and a critical success, with much praise for Hawke’s portrayal of the depraved villain. Hawke, who also collaborated with Derrickson on 2012’s Sinister, initially turned down the role of The Grabber, however. The Academy Award-nominated actor changed his mind after reading the script and realizing that The Black Phone was much more than just a horrifying tale. During a 2022 interview with SlashFilm, Hawke shared:

“When Scott called me up and told me he wanted me to play The Grabber, this person who abducts kids, I was like, ‘Listen, I’ll read it, but there’s no way I’m going to play that part.’ Then when I read the script, I was like, ‘Oh wow, this is more like ‘Stand By Me’ than it is a slasher pic.’ I said to him I’ve almost never come across something that is so scary that feels like it has a heart of gold. It’s like a feel-good, scary movie. I’ve never heard of such a thing. It felt like it hits an original tone.”

Related: 10 Horror Movies to Watch If You Loved The Black Phone

Scott Derrickson Revisits The Black Phone Universe

Universal Pictures

While it’s not a sequel (and doesn’t feature Hawke), another story set in The Black Phone universe will soon be available for streaming. Derrickson is one of the directors at the helm for V/H/S/85, and his segment does reference a character from the original film:

“Oh, there’s actually a universe crossover in there, which I guess I made it too subtle because nobody’s picking it up. But James Ransone tells Detective Wayne, when he’s behind the glass, he was talking about Gunther. He says, ‘He has these dreams that are prophetic.’ And he says, ‘My sister had the same gift. They drove her crazy, she killed herself.’ And he said, ‘Gunther’s cousin Gwen has the same thing too. I f***ing hate it.’ Well, the sister is Gwen’s mom, and Gwen is Gwen from The Black Phone.”

V/H/S/85 premiered during Fantastic Fest 2023 on September 22 and will be available exclusively on Shudder beginning October 6. The sixth installment of the V/H/S franchise features five tales of found footage horror set to take viewers on a terrifying journey into the grim underbelly of the 1980s. Derrickson, David Bruckner (The Night House), Gigi Saul Guerrero (Culture Shock), Natasha Kermani (Lucky), and Mike P. Nelson (2021’s Wrong Turn) direct the different segments.

Derrickson, whose notable works also include The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Doctor Strange, has several projects in the works, including the anticipated yet-untitled Labyrinth film and the Anya Taylor-Joy-led action flick The Gorge.

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