Reasons why A Quiet Place 2 will be an anthology movie

The success of A Quiet Place quickly pushed it ahead for a sequel, but according to writer John Krasinski, it won’t be a typical sequel.

Released in April of this year, A Quiet Place seemed like the type of movie that wouldn’t work as a franchise. Set in a futuristic world where blind aliens, who hunt by sound, have wiped out most of the population, leaving those remaining to live like ghosts.

There, we meet the Abbott family, a married couple and their three children, including one who is deaf, as they struggle to survive in a world where no one can make a sound.

John Krasinski, who wrote and directed the film, starred as the family patriarch and real-life wife, Emily Blunt played his pregnant wife. Deaf actress Millicent Simmonds played their profoundly stressed daughter Regan, who struggled with being unable to hear her surroundings. The high stakes, all too terrifying circumstances, mixed in with the family’s tense relationship, made A Quiet Place one of the greatest horror movies in recent history.

On just a $20 million budget, it made over $340 million at the box office, and worked up a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Too much money was at stake and a sequel was unavoidable. In fact, just a few weeks into its theatrical run, Paramount CEO Jim Gianopulos announced that a sequel was already in the works.

Krasinski originally disliked the idea of a number two but had a change of heart after talking to the film’s producer. He’s now currently writing the script to what he claims won’t be a traditional sequel.

The original family doesn’t have anything else to say

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The Abbott family healed from losing a child, risked everything to have another baby, lost their father, and decided to fight back against the monsters who forced them into seclusion.

Filled with great performances, this indie horror movie was more a societal commentary than a flick about blind monsters who can be taken down by a hearing aid. Krasinski compared the movie to current US politics and parenthood.

The metaphor played out and the story was told, wrapping everything neatly together in a nice bow. A Quiet Place is finished. We probably won’t see any of the characters again, no matter how much we loved them. It’s narrative and plot played like a stand-alone story. Not to mention the father died at the end which removes a large chunk of the family dynamic.

Let’s be honest, without John Krasinski’s Lee Abbott, the original wouldn’t be nearly as good. Emily Blunt’s Evelyn Abbott was a heroine as tough as the world she lived in, but outside of wife and mother, we know little about her. A sequel couldn’t stand on her shoulders.

Krasinski said so himself (sort of)

As I said before, A Quiet Place was set up to be a complete story; it felt final and they freaking killed Jim from The Office after he told his daughter “I love you”. Who could move on from that?! This is all making the strong case for an anthology movie and apparently, Krasinski would agree.

While talking to Business Insider, Krasinski explained his views on the sequel.

"“I don’t even see it as a sequel,” Krasinski told the site. “Emily [Blunt] actually blew my mind by categorizing it the correct way after I pitched it to her. She said, ‘This isn’t a sequel at all — this is the second book in a series of books. It’s a widening of a world.’ And I thought that’s the best way to look at it. It doesn’t feel like a sequel — it’s a continuation of living in that world.”He continued, “I can’t wait to get in there and keep writing and see what this movie wants to allow itself to be. And that will happen in the script process and the shooting and the editing. But I think what’s cool about the second part of this movie is the same set of rules have to apply. I can’t just introduce a world where you can make a ton of sound, and if I did, there would have to be a reason for it. So it’s figuring out if there are smart and clever ways to do it.”"

Additionally, he explain how he’s taking a similar approach with the sequel that he took in writing the original.

"“Me going from not wanting to participate in a sequel to doing it is the same reason I hope people will want to see one,” Krasinski said. “My hope is people want to revisit this world and revisit those stakes and those rules to have to abide by.”"

This sounds like another family is going to replace the Abbott’s. However, now that we know a little about the monsters, it might dive further into the backstory of their arrival. A few months back, it was rumored that A Quiet Place 2 would be a prequel, so it’s possible that this new family’s timeline begins prior to the monster attack.

Anthologies can break the bad sequel curse

Direct horror sequels are almost never as good as the original and it’s reasonable for A Quiet Place to want to avoid this. Audiences get tired of seeing the same old things and about halfway through, the recycled plot and cracked up violence eventually runs out of gas.

Anthologies aren’t the answer to everyone’s problems, but they’re good loopholes for a franchise, giving writers and directors a way to make a sequel that’s no relation to the original. This takes the pressure off, a bit (not really). People are oddly cruel and vindictive towards movies. The minute word came out that A Quiet Place is getting a sequel, people had their lit torches and sharpened pitch-forks ready to go.

No doubt someone will read this and think “of course, another stupid anthology, god you know what I didn’t even like the original. Go f*** yourself John Krasinski.” But is that really necessary? Just get mad and move on, don’t punch the hate out on your keyboard.

The fact that Krasinski was initially against a sequel shows that he cares about the subject matter and wants to do it justice. Anthologies can be great if done right; think Cloverfield franchise, Rogue One, American Horror Story, and V/H/S. 

A Quiet Place 2 is set for a May 2020 release date.