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Universal and Blumhouse are currently developing a sequel to The Black Phone – and we’re trying to figure out how that would work.

Director Scott Derrickson’s adaptation of the Joe Hill short story The Black Phone was well-received by critics and the general audience alike. The Black Phone has received a positive 83% of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. It also earned $161 million in box office revenue on a budget of just under $20 million. The story is complete by the time the credits roll. The Black Phone is not a sequel. It stands on its own. But when a movie is as successful as This one was, it opens the door to releasing a sequel. At CinemaCon last month Jason Blum, the founder of Blumhouse Productions and The Black Phone‘s producer, confirmed that a sequel is in the works. Now we must ponder… The Black Phone – 2

– Could a sequel be successful?Before getting started, let’s remind ourselves what The Black Phone is all about. Mason Thames played Finney, a shy, but clever, 13-year-old who is abducted and held captive in a soundproof cellar by a sadistic murderer. Screaming is not effective. Finney Shaw, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. They are determined to prevent Finney from experiencing the same fate as their mother. Madeleine McGraw had a memorable role as Finney’s sister Gwen, who has psychic visions in her dreams (just like their mom did), and Ethan Hawke played the mask-wearing child killer known as The Grabber.

HERO SEQUEL

With The Grabber having been defeated, the most appealing option for a sequel to The Black Phone would be one that follows up with Finney and Gwen a few years after the events of the first film and sees them getting mixed up in some other kind of horrific situation – maybe even one they’re led into by Gwen’s psychic abilities. She may have psychic dreams of someone in need and when she and her brothers try to help them, their lives are also at risk. The scenario would be up to the screenwriters to figure out, but this approach would give viewers the chance to see Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw play Finney and Gwen again, and that alone would be enough to make a sequel worthwhile.

ANTHOLOGY SEQUEL

Here’s a less appealing option, and one we’d be more likely to see if Universal Pictures were to decide to turn The Black Phone into a direct-to-video franchise. This is certainly possible, as Universal is known for producing direct-to-video franchises. (Look up the Tremors, Bring It On, Dragonheart, American Pie, Scorpion King, Death Race, and Chucky franchises for proof.) Anthology would introduce a new cast of characters. Finney and Gwen are not included in the Grabber. We’d instead follow people who are in a life or death situation and receive help from beyond, like Finney did when he was trapped in The Grabber’s basement. We could have a series of “Black phone” films that are all connected by the idea of spirits helping people get out of a bad situation. Maybe that would be a good alternative, a simpler version which would strictly be seen by the public as The Black Phone – 2.

VILLAIN PREQUEL

The Grabber was such a memorable villain, both in look (wearing his multi-piece mask that was designed by FX legend Tom Savini) and performance (Ethan Hawke is awesome), would Universal and Blumhouse want to leave him out of a sequel? They could build him up to be a new horror icon… it may seem bad taste to make someone abducting and murdering children into an icon, however that is exactly what Freddy Krueger was before he became the dream stalker. It would be necessary to make a prequel in order to bring The Grabber as a flesh-and-blood character back. Which would probably turn out to be a really dark and depressing movie, because there’s no way to get around it having a downer ending where The Grabber gets away with his crimes.

GRABBER RETURNS

Speaking of Freddy… Another way to bring The Grabber back and try to build him into a horror icon would be to turn him into a supernatural being who continues messing with children from beyond the grave. He could choose a new group of victims or mix the idea of the supernatural Grabber with Finney and Gwen. Perhaps his evil spirit still haunts the siblings. They may have to find some way to defeat him, or he might just appear to them in dreams and visions as they deal with another situation. Ethan Hawke is unlikely to be interested in playing a horror icon in multiple sequences. Don’t expect Ethan Hawke to appear in The Black Phone, if it is made. Does anyone have any ideas on how to make a sequel of

The Black Phone? Please let us know what you think by leaving a message below.

Entertainment - Media News Watch originally published at Entertainment - Media News Watch