The Black Phone’s Ethan Hawke Addresses a Possible Sequel

After delivering horror fans the unsettling Sinister back in 2012, director Scott Derrickson and actor Ethan Hawke reteamed for the upcoming The Black Phone. With the film coming from Blumhouse Productions, the acclaimed studio that has created a number of long-running franchises, surely some fans are wondering if The Black Phone could be the next ongoing series for the studio, with Hawke himself noting that he’d be interested in continuing the narrative so long as Derrickson is also on board, as opposed to merely cashing in on a familiar title. The Black Phone lands in theaters on June 26th.

“If Scott was involved, yeah. I’m never interested in … Sometimes sequels feel borne out of a storyteller’s necessity to continue talking to you. And sometimes they feel borne out of a desire to make money off of the same poster again,” Hawke shared with ComicBook.com. “So I want to be the first, there’s a difference.”

The film is described, “Finney Shaw, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer’s previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn’t happen to Finney.” 

Starring four-time Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke in the most terrifying role of his career and introducing Mason Thames in his first-ever film role, The Black Phone is produced, directed, and co-written by Scott Derrickson, the writer-director of Sinister, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and Marvel’s Doctor Strange.

The film’s screenplay is by Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill (Doctor Strange, Sinister franchise), based on the award-winning short story by Joe Hill from his New York Times bestseller 20th Century Ghosts. The film is produced by Derrickson & Cargill’s Crooked Highway and presented by Universal and Blumhouse. Jason Blum, Scott Derrickson, and C. Robert Cargill are producers on the film, which is executive produced by Ryan Turek and Christopher H. Warner.

While Derrickson’s Sinister did earn a sequel, Hawke didn’t return, though Derrickson co-wrote and produced while Ciarán Foy stepped in as director. 

The Black Phone lands in theaters on June 26th.

Are you hoping the film kicks off a new franchise? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!