Smile Director Addresses Possible Sequel Plans and #JusticeForMustache (Exclusive)

Part of what made writer/director Parker Finn’s feature film Smile so compelling is that the narrative feels as though we were dropped into the middle of the story and that this story will continue after the credits roll, leaving fans to wonder if another entry into the series is on the horizon. While Finn previously explained that he has no interest in repeating himself just for the sake of a sequel, he more recently shared that in the weeks since the film has premiered, he has seen possible opportunities to tell more stories in this world, which would potentially include seeing another filmmaker dive into the mythology. Smile is out now on Digital HD and streaming on Paramount+.

“I made Smile to, of course, be self-contained, tell its whole own story,” Finn shared with ComicBook.com about the franchise’s possible future. “I didn’t think in a million years that there would be such a demand for a sequel. But having said that, I think there are definitely things inside of the film that remain purposefully unexplored that would be very exciting to dive into, and also things that I didn’t get a chance to do on the first one for either budget constraints or if it didn’t quite fit in the story that I think would be really exciting.”

He continued, “I still feel that I never want to overtly just repeat myself or do the same thing I just did, but I think that there could be a really exciting way for there to be more in the world of Smile, but something very unexpected and surprising for an audience with a lot of tricks up its sleeves.”

Speaking to the unanswered questions in the film, at one point Sosie Bacon’s Rose discovers that her cat Mustache is dead, though the actor denies her character being responsible. Finn addressed the feline’s fate and fan feedback to the fatality.

“I’ve seen a lot of #JusticeForMustache out there. I have my opinions on it, but when I make a movie and give it to audiences, I never want to definitively answer questions that are purposefully not spelled out in the film,” the filmmaker detailed. “I think it’s much more interesting for an audience to bring themselves to it and to connect different dots, and I love the idea if it can start a conversation or a debate about what might’ve happened.”

In the film, after witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can’t explain. Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.

Smile is out now on Digital HD and streaming on Paramount+.

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