According to Happy Death Day 2U director Christopher Landon, the film includes a credits scene that sets the stage for a potential third movie. The original Happy Death Day was a surprise hit that gave Blumhouse another horror franchise to add to their rapidly-growing collection. Written by Scott Lobdell (X-Men the animated TV series), Happy Death Day followed Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe), a college student who finds herself trapped in a time loop when she's murdered on her birthday. As Tree is slaughtered over and over again, she comes to realize that the only way she can escape the loop is by figuring out her killer's identity.

A few months after the film's release, Rothe confirmed Landon's plans for a Back to the Future-inspired sequel that explains how Tree got caught in a time loop to begin with. The film entered production last May and is set to reach theaters on Wednesday, after being moved up a day to avoid opening on the anniversary of the Parkland school shooting. With less than two days to go before Happy Death Day 2U arrives, Landon has already begun teasing his idea for a third movie.

Related: Jason Blum Wants to Create a Shared Blumhouse Universe

In an interview with EW, Landon (who also wrote Happy Death Day 2U) confirmed plans for a third Happy Death Day film, explaining that "I always imagined this as a trilogy". He went on to describe his idea for Happy Death Day 3 as "really bonkers [and] fun", and mentioned that Happy Death Day 2U includes a credits scene that offers a big tease of where the franchise could go next:

“Oh god. Well, I mean, there’s a big clue already in [Happy Death Day 2U]. There’s an end credit sequence, so people who stick around, they’ll see that. But, beyond that, mum’s the word right now.”

The news that Happy Death Day 2U's credits scene sets up a third movie comes as little surprise. Landon and Blumhouse head Jason Blum had already expressed their desire to make more sequels, with Blum adding that he wants each Happy Death Day movie to have a different genre. Post-credits scenes in general have become a popular way for studios to tease what comes next for a franchise - and not just comic book movie universes either. Last year, in fact, Blumhouse's The First Purge included a credits scene that could pave the way to another prequel set before the events of the original Purge film. The studio's Halloween likewise hinted at a sequel by including the sound of Michael Myers breathing (indicating that he's still alive) near the end of its credits.

Still, it's difficult to say where the franchise could go after Happy Death Day 2U. After revealing how Tree keeps getting caught in a time loop, the sequel will presumably offer a permanent solution to her situation, and end with its hero and her pals finding a way to avoid ever getting caught in a time loop again. Landon's comments suggest the film's credits sequence won't necessarily undo that, but it will allude to another complication that could pave the way to Happy Death Day 3. It's good to hear Landon doesn't have plans beyond that, though. As much fun as this sci-fi slasher comedy franchise has been so far, its concept probably isn't deep enough to sustain more than three films (if even that).

MORE: Happy Death Day's Honest Trailer Gets Caught in a Time Loop

Source: EW

Key Release Dates