The Goosebumps sequel is now reportedly called Goosebumps: Slappy's Revenge and is expected to focus on the eponymous evil dummy. Details surrounding the sequel to 2015's Goosebumps movie have been pretty sketchy up until now. The sequel, which was previously confirmed as being titled Goosebumps: Horrorland, may well now be moving in a different direction plot-wise and link closely with events in the original film, as well as a classic book from the original Goosebumps book series.
Goosebumps the movie was released in October 2015 and made a tidy worldwide gross of $150M from a budget of $58M. It starred Jack Black as a fictional version of real life author R.L. Stine, who had to deal with his literary monsters escaping from his books and terrorising a small town. Directed by Rob Letterman (Monsters vs. Aliens), it gained a good critical response and expertly tapped into the love for the YA horror novels that so many people grew up with or introduced their families to. A sequel was announced in 2016 and expected to move forward with the original star and director. It was then given an official title of Goosebumps: Horrorland, but development on the followup has been moving slowly since then.
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Now it seems that things have definitely changed for the film. According to Omega Underground, the sequel is now being referred to as Goosebumps: Slappy's Revenge. This would suggest that the sequel is now heading in a different plot direction. It was previously expected to focus on the Horrorland spinoff line, based around the amusement park that Goosebumps creator R.L. Stine described as being the 'scariest place on Earth'. While there is a Goosebumps movie tie-in book titled Slappy's Revenge, the true inspiration for the sequel could be the 2008 novel Revenge of the Living Dummy, which is one of the most popular stories starring the evil doll.
According to Omega Underground's report, production on the Goosebumps sequel is currently slated to begin in Atlanta in the first half of 2018. While Sony is still holding onto a September 2018 theatrical release date for the film at the moment, this update indicates that the Goosebumps sequel won't be hitting theaters until 2019 instead.
The (unconfirmed) change in title doesn't mean that Horrorland won't still feature in the plot, but it probably means that it won't be as central to the storyline as previously thought. There's also the issue of Black's availability, as there's still a question mark hanging over whether he will be a part of the sequel or not. Although it's possible that his version of Stine will not return, he also provided the vocals for Slappy the first time around, so there may be a change unless his involvement is confirmed. However the recently announced director Ari Sandel, still seems to be at the helm.
Slappy was easily one of the best loved parts of the first film (and the whole franchise), so it makes sense that his name has now been giving top billing. However, until further plot specifics and casting announcements are officially announced by the studio, it's difficult to guess how this follow-up will compare to the original. We hope that Black throws his hat into the amusement arcade soon and look forward to hearing more about any movement on Goosebumps: Slappy's Revenge. We'll keep you updated.
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Source: Omega Underground
