Smile Director Parker Finn Speaks Out on Sequel Plans

Hitting theaters this weekend is the all-new horror movie Smile, which filmmaker Parker Finn developing based on his short film “Laura Hasn’t Slept.” Given that he has already expanded on the world of one of his stories, some viewers will surely assume this is just the beginning of a franchise, with Finn recently confirming that there could be more Smile stories to tell, so long as he personally isn’t treading over the same ground. Whether there could be more stories will also likely depend on how well the film performs this weekend at the box office. Smile is in theaters now.

“For me, as a filmmaker, I never want to retread and just do something I’ve already done again the exact same way,” Finn shared with ComicBook.com. “In a universe where there could be any potential — more story to tell from Smile, I’d wanna make sure it was surprising and different and not what people were expecting after the first one.”

In the film, after witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can’t explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.

Given how many films are released each year that are either sequels or reboots or adaptations of well-known material, Smile marks the rare instance of an entirely original film that doesn’t have established stars or comes from a recognizable filmmaker. Surely some parties involved in the project would hope that this is just the beginning of a long-running series.

Interesting, just earlier this month, the horror film Barbarian landed in theaters and similarly offered audiences an entirely fresh experience. While Smile leans much more into overt horror while Barbarian includes more comedy and elements that audiences are meant to laugh at, they aren’t necessarily in direct competition with one another. Similarly, the director of Barbarian Zach Cregger similarly noted that he isn’t in a rush to develop a follow-up.

“So there’s a big twist around the 40-minute mark and I always eagerly wait for that moment. It’s my favorite moment,” Cregger shared with ComicBook.com. “Barbarian 2, not for me. Not gonna happen from me. Never say never, I could have an amazing idea tomorrow and be off to the races, but I doubt it.”

Smile is out now in theaters.

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