Scott Derrickson, ]director of The Black Phone, says that there may be potential for a sequel to the horror film. Dickerson is well-versed in the horror world, known for some of the films that he's written and directed such as The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Sinister, and Deliver Us from Evil. He also directed Doctor Strange and co-wrote the film with C. Robert Cargill, his writing partner that returned to write The Black Phone with him.
The Black Phone is based on the short story of the same title from Joe Hill and can be found in his New York Times bestselling book of short stories, 20th Century Ghosts. The film features Ethan Hawke in the role of a terrifying kidnapper known as The Grabber in 1978 Denver. Part of the reason behind this location and time period is Derrickson's experience growing up in North Denver in the late 70s and the palpable fear during that time of potentially being kidnapped or murdered because of the string of serial killers during that era like Charles Manson and Ted Bundy. The Grabber's latest victim in The Black Phone is Finney (played by Mason Thames) who learns that he can communicate with the dead victims of The Grabber through a disconnected black phone in the soundproof basement where he is being held captive.
Now, speaking with ComicBook about the possibility of a sequel to The Black Phone, Derrickson notes that Hill already shared with him an idea for a sequel to the movie and that he is enthusiastic about this prospect if The Black Phone does well at the box office. Derrickson also shares that Hill is very protective about his work, which may be why details regarding any specific plot points of a sequel are currently being kept under wraps.
Joe Hill pitched me a wonderful idea for a sequel to Black Phone that, if this movie does well, I'm gonna do it. He's got a great idea, I really liked it. Joe's very protective and personal about his material, but he came to me with the idea and I was like, 'That's how you do a sequel to Black Phone. That's terrific.'
The Black Phone has the opportunity to perform well in theaters due to a few factors - from Derrickson's skills as a horror director to Hawke's terrifying performance as The Grabber, there is plenty for genre lovers to sink their teeth into. The Black Phone has also been received very well by critics, currently holding an 84% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Besides this, The Black Phone is one of the last horror films to be released in June, with the next highly-anticipated horror film being Joran Peele's Nope which is coming to theaters on July 22. Because viewers may have to wait nearly a month for another horror, some may be pushed to the theaters to see The Black Phone to scratch the horror itch.
Should The Black Phone gain popularity from its cast, directing, and critically acclaimed source material, a sequel is very promising based on Derrickson's eagerness to continue working with Hill. The Black Phone 2 could potentially take form as a prequel, focusing on one of the dead victims that Finney meets through the phone. It could also follow Finney in the future as he deals with the residual trauma from his experience with The Grabber. Another smart move could be an anthology approach, with another of The Grabber's victims followed in their own story. For now, viewers will have to see The Black Phone for themselves in theaters and wait patiently to see if any sequel announcements are made.
Sources: ComicBook
