John Krasinski won't be directing A Quiet Place 3, and here's how he feels about handing the reigns off to Jeff Nichols. Although Krasinski is best known for his role as Jim Halpert on The Office, he's been able to make his mark as a director in the last few years. A Quiet Place was his third directorial effort when it released in 2018. The original sci-fi movie was a huge hit and immediately saw Paramount Pictures begin plans to make it a franchise.
Now that A Quiet Place Part II has been released and is proving to be another hit, the next movie in the franchise is taking steps forward. Paramount originally announced in 2020 that Mud director Jeff Nichols would help the next entry in the series. The movie received a 2022 release date, but the studio recently announced A Quiet Place 3 will release in 2023 instead. It is based on an original idea by Krasinski, and he is now discussing what it is like to be passing the franchise onto someone else.
During a recent interview with Empire, Krasinski revealed that he's actually quite happy about not directing A Quiet Place 3, mostly because of Nichols' involvement. He said that Nichols was his first choice to direct the next movie, so he was ecstatic when the Mud and Midnight Special director took the job. Read Krasinski's full response below:
Truly the only person I had in mind when asked whether I would hand this off was Jeff. I think he’s one of the best filmmakers, Mud is one of my favorite movies, and so real and intimate. It’s exactly the sort of paints we’re painting with in A Quiet Place – very organic characters you fall in love with. So he was my first choice for this, and when he said yes I was over the moon. I pitched him my story, he’s gone and developed the world on his own with that jumping-off point, and I’m so thrilled. He’s actually just turning in a script now, and I loved it. I absolutely loved it, and I can’t wait to see him shoot this thing.
Even after the success of the first A Quiet Place, Krasinski was publically quite hesitant to return to make a sequel. He's said during the press cycle for A Quiet Place 2 that his mind changed once he started working on the script. The story of the sequel was something Krasinski felt he needed to be directly involved in. While he once again developed the initial idea for A Quiet Place 3, Krasinski credits Nichols for taking the idea and running with it.
As excited as Krasinski is for Nichols' A Quiet Place 3, it is not yet confirmed exactly what it will contain. The cliffhanger ending of A Quiet Place 2 left the door wide open for a continuation of the Abbott family's story. Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe could all return for the sequel potentially. It is also possible that Nichols' A Quiet Place 3 will focus on an entirely new part of the world. That could allow Krasinski to take a bit of a break before helming a true follow-up to A Quiet Place 2.
Source: Empire