Blumhouse founder and CEO, Jason Blum, has stated in a recent interview that the third Happy Death Day film isn't dead, and the producer has a plan for the time-loop slasher horror series. The 2017 slasher film was directed by Christopher Landon and produced by Blum, starring Jessica Rothe and Israel Broussard. Happy Death Day received both critical praise and financial success, receiving a sequel, Happy Death Day 2U in 2019.
In Happy Death Day, Rothe plays Theresa "Tree" Gelbman, a young college student who is murdered by a masked killer on her birthday, only to discover that she is caught in a time loop. With help from classmate Carter Davis (Broussard), Tree must relive the day over and over again until she discovers the killer's identity, bettering her own life along the way. 2019's Happy Death Day 2U sees Tree once more caught in a time loop, and while greenlighting the third installment has been challenging, Blum still insists there's a plan for it.
When speaking to Collider about various upcoming projects such as Welcome to the Blumhouse, Christine, and Universal Monsters projects, Blum was asked about whether a third Happy Death Day film would still be made. Blum offered a brief response, simply stating that he had a plan to continue the series. He then firmly promised, "I have a plan. Put it this way. I'm not saying goodbye to Happy Death Day. I'll say it like that."
The first film was both a critical and financial success. Positive reviews praised Happy Death Day for Rothe's performance and for being an entertaining film, comparing the slasher film to both Groundhog Day and Scream for its premise and playful approach with familiar tropes. The film also earned over $125.5 million at the box office from a $4.8 million budget. Despite this, doubts were thrown on a third film due to Happy Death Day 2U's box office underperforming, with Blum stating in 2019 that it wasn't likely. However, Blum and Landon have kept hopes of the film alive, with Landon teasing in June that an update might come in the distant future.
Happy Death Day has been well-received by both audiences by critics, so fans will be glad to hear that the minds behind the film haven't given up on the series. However, Blum's recent response could be seen as more open-ended in comparison to previous updates. It is possible that rather than a full feature film, Happy Death Day's premise may be revisited through a different format such as in a television series. Previous Blumhouse films such as The Purge and Upgrade have been expanded through TV series, and Happy Death Day 2U's expansion on wider time travel experiments leaves the creators with plenty of room to explore the world.
Source: Collider