A Quiet Place 3 is likely to continue following the Abbott family, but the story potential inherent in the upcoming Quiet Place spinoff movie makes it a more exciting prospect than the direct sequel. Pig director Michael Sarnoski is helming the spinoff after original director Jeff Nichols (Mud, Take Shelter) exited the production in October 2021. The spinoff will arrive in 2023, with A Quiet Place 3 scheduled to follow in 2025.
The Quiet Place movies are set in an apocalyptic world infested with vicious aliens that hunt their prey by sound. The ingeniously simple premise—"If they hear you, they hunt you"—combined with John Krasinski's confident direction, expert sound design, and a likable family to root for, made 2018's A Quiet Place a massive hit. After being delayed a year due to the COVID pandemic, 2021's A Quiet Place Part II was a worthy sequel that picked up where the first Quiet Place movie left off. There are no story details for either film in development as of yet, but the spinoff will be based on an original idea from John Krasinski.
Given the quality of the budding franchise thus far, there is every reason to believe that A Quiet Place 3 will continue the Abbott family's story in a rewarding way. The first two movies in the series have set up Regan as the heroine, and with A Quiet Place 3 set to be the conclusion of a trilogy, the most likely and satisfying ending it can give its audience would be for her to be the ultimate savior, defeating the monsters once and for all. That's a good story arc told over three parts, but it's part of a repeating pattern that the Quiet Place movies employ that loses something each time it's recycled. Conversely, the Quiet Place spinoff is more exciting because it's an unknown entity, with endless possibilities and ways to explore Krasinski's apocalyptic world.
The Quiet Place movies have set up several spinoff possibilities that could be explored separately from the core trilogy. There is the potential for a prequel following other characters as they attempt to survive the alien plague, in a similar vein as Independence Day with cities, governments and militaries descending into chaos. Alternatively, and arguably more likely given the tone and budget of the series, the film could keep it simple and follow another family or group.
The first Quiet Place movie was such a fresh cinematic experience, and while audiences care deeply about the Abbott family, the world that Krasinski and co. created is begging to be enriched and explored beyond their story. Changing settings and even counties would also offer a different take on the concept. The beginning of A Quiet Place Part II shows a news report of an alien-infested meteor hitting Shanghai, for instance. .
Michael Sarnoski is an exciting up-and-coming director, with the 2021 Nicolas Cage-led drama Pig indicating that he's more than capable of delivering a unique Quiet Place spinoff movie. It's still exciting to look forward to A Quiet Place 3—especially if Krasinski returns to write/direct—and its story could well break away from the pattern of the previous movies. The spinoff, however, has a blank canvas that is more intriguing as it offers the chance to deepen the franchise and surprise audiences the way the first Quiet Place movie did.