Malignant 2: James Wan Reveals How Sequel Could Happen

Just over a year ago, James Wan's Malignant debuted both in theaters and on HBO Max and quickly earned a passionate following, with the rich world of the film allowing opportunities for spinoffs or sequels to be developed. Wan's latest update about the franchise's future claims that such opportunities would be dependent on fan support. These comments echo previous reactions Wan has had about the possibility, so while he's surely not ruling out the likelihood, he seemingly wants the vocal support of such an opportunity to be so loud that studio Warner Bros. explores such ventures.

"This is what I would say for Malignant 2: If the fans want it, I want them to make a big noise with the studio," Wan shared with The AV Club. "And that's how you did it. #RestoreTheMalignantUniverse. That's what needs to be done for a Malignant 2 to happen."

The film is described," Malignant is the latest creation from Conjuring universe architect James Wan (Aquaman, Furious 7). The film marks director Wan's return to his roots with this original horror thriller. In the film, Madison is paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities."  

Earlier this year, Wan detailed how, with all of his projects, he develops them with the intention of expanding them into other stories.

"That's pretty much what I do from the very start, and not so much thinking that, 'Oh, there'll be a sequel for this,' but I try to, with all my films, I try to have an idea of what the bigger world would look like, the umbrella universe, if you will. That way, when I make this particular film, I know what is happening at every moment of the film, at every moment of the storytelling, if you will," Wan expressed to ComicBook.com. "Because I know the bigger world that the story takes place in, there are potentially other stories to tell, and that usually is dictated by what the audience wants. If they want more stories, then I have more stories to pull into it. That's my approach, even all the way back to my first film with Saw, is I do know the bigger world, like [writer] Leigh [Whannell] and I knew the bigger world, and if we were fortunate enough to tell other stories, we have stories ready to tell."

He added, "Same with Insidious, same with The Conjuring. In the case of The Conjuring, it's a more obvious one, right? Because the Warrens, it's based on these real-life people who have investigated many cases, and so that's a more obvious one to pull from. But the same with the Aquaman world, as well. I create this world, and then within that, you can tell many different stories within the universe."

Stay tuned for details on the possible future of Malignant.

Would you like the film to get a sequel? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!