Talk to Me prequel is already shot and may be released

Horror fans have just let Talk to Me in, but its directors have already filmed a complete prequel that could be released “down the line.”

While supposed big hitters like Indiana Jones 5, Ant-Man 3, and The Flash flounder at the box office, 2023 is further proof of an exciting trend: if you bring original horror to cinemas, audiences will turn up.

Talk to Me, a new chiller from Danny and Michael Philippou and distributed by A24, has made five times its budget and is already one of the highest-grossing Aussie movies of all time in the US.

It follows a group of teenagers seduced by the thrill of possession via a severed, embalmed hand – and if we’re lucky, we may learn a bit more about the events leading up to the start of the story. Spoilers to follow…

Talk to Me prequel has already been filmed

The movie comes armed with a sharp cold open, following Cole as he tries to track down his brother Duckett at a house party. He eventually bashes through a door and finds him sitting alone, quiet, and clearly shaken. He brings him through to the kitchen, but things go haywire pretty quickly, with Duckett stabbing his brother before killing himself with the same knife.

In our review, we called it “shocking stuff” and a “grandstanding way to start proceedings”, and while it effectively sets up the terrors in store for Mia and her pals, it’s fertile ground for a whole other story.

“We actually shot an entire Duckett prequel already. It’s told entirely through the perspective of mobile phones and social media, so maybe down the line we can release that,” Danny told The Hollywood Reporter.

“But also while writing the first film, you can’t help but write scenes for a second film. So there’s so many scenes. The mythology was so thick, and if A24 gave us the opportunity, we wouldn’t be able to resist. I feel like we’d jump at it.”

Other stuff also hasn’t seen the light of day: in an interview with Dexerto, the filmmakers spoke about cutting that nightmarish scene of Riley trapped in the fleshy, skin-ripping hell of the spirit world. “It was too heavy. And there were just worries about it getting pushed past the ratings board because what we shot was just so horrific,” Danny said.

Don’t worry, because just like the prequel, we may see it some day. “There was an initial cut as well, like a director’s cut that went for 20 minutes longer that we have as well,” Michael said, and Danny added: “We have 20 minutes of deleted scenes from throughout the film, which we’ve got to make sure that no one throws that away [too]. We want to keep those!”

Talk to Me is in cinemas now, and for more coverage, see below:

Talk to Me review | Influence of The Babadook | Is it streaming? | Does Talk to Me have a post-credits scene? | Ending explained | Sequel plans