Happy Death Day writer-director Christopher Landon says Happy Death Day 3 will be bigger than its predecessors if he can make it happen, while he also wants to make crossover horror Freaky Death Day.
Christopher Landon has recently carved out a niche for himself in high-concept comedy-horror with potential for sequels.
Happy Death Day was a bloody Groundhog Day that made a mint at the box office and was followed by Happy Death Day 2U. While Freaky was a bloody body-swap movie about a serial killer changing places with a High School Student.
With his new, more family-friendly film We Have a Ghost about to hit Netflix, Landon has been talking sequels and potential crossovers for his previous features.
Happy Death Day 3 will be bigger than 1 and 2
When asked about what’s happening with Happy Death Day 3, Christopher Landon tells The Hollywood Reporter: “I have that movie in my head, and I know exactly what I want. It’s actually a bigger movie than the previous two films, and that’s part of the issue, ultimately.
“This third movie needs a bigger budget, but since the second movie didn’t perform as well as the first, it’s a tall order. But I’m still holding out hope that Universal will give me a chance because it would be a really fun conclusion.”
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When asked about those numbers – with 2 making less money than 1, but still a sizeable profit – Landon says: “I don’t even know if they actually look at what they made at the box office. I think they look at it like, ‘Well, the first one did this and the second one did this, therefore the third one will do even less.’ There’s just a certain kind of math that they do that makes them go, ‘Eh.’
“They also spend really big on marketing. So I understand the economics of it, but I also think they’re missing the fact that we’ve gained an audience over the years. People finally found their way to the second movie and realized that it was really fun. So, if we did make a third one, I think we’d have a bigger audience than they expect. Or we could do it for Peacock. I don’t know. It doesn’t have to be theatrical. I’d prefer it, but it doesn’t have to be.”
Freaky Death Day still just an idea
As for whether his Freaky Friday horror could ever merge with his Groundhog Day horror – thereby uniting new scream queens Jessica Rothe and Kathryn Newton – Landon says it’s up to the Blumhouse boss.
“Jason Blum is the puppet master,” Landon tells THR. “He’s pulling all the strings. So if anybody knows, it’s him. I know that Jessica, Kathryn and I would love to get together and make something absolutely ridiculous. So it’s possible, but we really haven’t had an actual creative conversation about doing something like that. I just know that I would do anything to work with both of those people again.”
Chris Landon’s new film We Have a Ghost hits Netflix on Friday.
