Bird Box Author Claims Sequel Movie Is in Development

When it landed on Netflix back in 2018, Bird Box took the world by storm, with the author of the novel it was based on, Josh Malerman, claiming that a sequel to the film is in development. The author wrote a sequel novel to the source material with Malorie, which he claims he was inspired to write after seeing the success of Sandra Bullock in the adaptation, though it’s unclear if the sequel film will follow the events of the sequel novel or if it will explore all-new ideas. Malorie hits shelves on July 21st, with no timeline revealed for the Bird Box live-action sequel.

“I can’t say much, but I can say that it is in development,” Malerman confirmed to Inverse. “Sometimes it’s weird, all this secrecy, but I’m game.”

In the original film, “When a mysterious force decimates the world’s population, only one thing is certain: if you see it, you take your life. Facing the unknown, Malorie finds love, hope and a new beginning only for it to unravel. Now she must flee with her two children down a treacherous river to the one place left that may offer sanctuary. But to survive, they’ll have to undertake the perilous two-day journey blindfolded. Academy Award winner Sandra Bullock leads an all-star cast that includes Trevante Rhodes, with Sarah Paulson, and John Malkovich in Bird Box, a compelling new thriller from Academy Award winner Susanne Bier.”

The author went on to reveal what to expect in the new novel.

“Malorie opens at the school for the blind, which is where the movie ends,” the author admitted. “Then it jumps a few years later, and it really takes off 10 years after that.”

In addition to the film offering audiences a compelling premise, the film landing on Netflix with much less of a marketing campaign compared to a traditional theatrically released film allowed Bird Box to earn word-of-mouth marketing, as fans were eager to check out a Bullock thriller that was made available to them seemingly out of nowhere.

Despite the film’s success, the film itself didn’t impact how he crafted Malorie.

“I was also aware that there was a possibility that Sandra Bullock wouldn’t be playing Malorie,” Malerman pointed out. “When you first start writing novels, especially now, how do you not see them cinematically? We grew up on movies. So with Bird Box, I always saw it cinematically. It almost reads like stage directions. It felt the same writing Malorie, but I didn’t have Sandra Bullock in mind when I wrote the first one.”

Malorie is available on July 21st.

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