The Black Phone Original Cast Returning for Sequel

While the events of The Black Phone would lead audiences to assume Ethan Hawke's The Grabber had met his demise, Deadline confirms that Hawke is set to make his return to the series for the announced sequel. Hawke isn't the only original cast member set to return, as the outlet noted that Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, and Miguel Mora were also making a comeback. The new film is set to be developed by original director Scott Derrickson and writer C. Robert Cargill, though it is not yet known whether Derrickson will be returning to direct. The Black Phone 2 currently has a June 27, 2025 release date.

The original movie was based on a short story from author Joe Hill, who is on board to serve as a producer of the sequel. With the original story being part of an anthology collection of stories, some theories assumed a continuation would explore other stories that were set in that world that weren't directly connected to the events of The Black Phone. Given how early into development the project is, it's possible the returning cast could only be making small appearances in the continuation of the narrative and that the sequel will introduce new characters.

The first movie focused on a young boy (Thames) getting kidnapped by The Grabber and being imprisoned in his basement. While there, he received otherworldly transmissions on a black phone that came from The Grabber's former victims. Hill himself previously recalled how, whatever the future might hold for the franchise, he thinks the iconography of the film could help birth a new horror icon.

"There have been some really, really good conversations about a sequel. And the thing is, as soon as I saw the mask, which was designed by Tom Savini and Jason Baker, as soon as I saw the mask I thought, 'If this film is a hit, there'll be a sequel,' because the mask is so iconic," Hill admitted to ComicBook.com in 2022 about a sequel. "It is like Freddy Krueger's glove, it is like Michael Myers' mask, it is this thing where it's the imagery, iconic imagery, that haunts people's sleep. And, look, in horror, guys like Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger, and Frankenstein, and Dracula, none of these guys stay buried. They all claw their way out of the grave for a sequel and then a threequel." 

He continued, "There have been talks about how to do a sequel that wouldn't suck. How to do a sequel that doesn't cheapen the film that came before, that's still scary, that's still intense, that feels organic. And those conversations have been pretty good. But if I were to provide any details, Scott and [writer C. Robert] Cargill would lock me in the basement in the film, and that's it. And the phone doesn't work. As you know, the phone doesn't work. I can't call anyone to get out. So I would decline to offer any real granular details about the possible sequel."

The Black Phone 2 currently has a June 27, 2025 release date.

Are you looking forward to Hawke's return? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!