The Sea Beast Director Addresses Sequel and Spinoff Possibilities

This summer, Netflix delivered yet another animated hit in the form of The Sea Beast, a swashbuckling adventure about monster hunters on the open ocean and age-old war that wasn’t what it seemed. The film debuted to rave reviews and has been a steady force in the Netflix Top 10 since its release. Not only have Netflix subscribers been watching The Sea Beast, they’ve been engaging with its filmmakers and one another on social media, posting loads of original art and coming up with ideas for new stories with the film’s instantly beloved characters. There seems to be a clear hunger for more Sea Beast, and director Chris Williams is open to making that a reality.

ComicBook.com recently caught up with Williams, who also co-wrote The Sea Beast in addition to serving as director, and asked about the potential for sequels or spinoffs. While the film was never intended to create a franchise, Williams is now considering more stories, thanks in large part to the response from the fans.

“It’s been really overwhelming, honestly, the response,” Williams told us. “I worked on the movie Big Hero 6, and we always thought that one really lent itself to sequels, we were almost promising more movies at the end of that one, whereas with The Sea Beast it almost felt like it was so wrapped up that there wasn’t anywhere to go, which was fine. But honestly, I have been thinking about it, and I do have some notions about where you’d be able to go next with it. And it is true that it’s a pretty expansive world, and so there haven’t been any direct conversations about it, but I could potentially be game for it.”

Williams went on to talk about the fan response to The Sea Beast, and just how fulfilling it has been to see people posting all of the fan art they’ve taken time to draw.

“Just the idea that people are really connecting to the characters and engaging with the characters and the movie, that was me,” said Williams. “When I was young, that was my favorite thing to do, sit and draw characters. Whether they were original things, or inspired by shows and movies that I loved, that was me. And so the idea that people are now feeling inspired by the movie to expand on the universe of The Sea Beast is awesome. There’s nothing that’s more fulfilling to me than the audience really connecting.”

“The truth is that I invested three and a half years of my life in this movie, but I ask hundreds of people to join me on the journey of making the movie, and they invest years of their lives on it too,” he continued. “It’s a massive investment, and so it has to be worth it in the end. You have to make something you’re proud of.And the idea that the audience has taken to the movies in the way that they have, really it’s incredibly fulfilling. It just means a lot to me and the whole crew, I know that for sure.”

The Sea Beast is now streaming on Netflix.