Don't Breathe 2 will finally begin filming this spring, with Don't Breathe co-writer Rodo Sayagues directing and Stephen Lang returning as Norman Nordstrom (aka. "The Blind Man"). Released in 2016, Don't Breathe stars Jane Levy as Rocky, a young woman from Detroit who, with the help of her friends, tries to rob a local blind man (Lang) in order to move her and her sister far away from their abusive mother and her alcoholic boyfriend. However, when it turns out their target is not only extremely dangerous but hiding some disturbing secrets of his own, Rocky and the others must fight to make it out of his house alive.

Critics were largely impressed with Don't Breathe and praised it for subverting the tropes of the home invasion sub-genre without resorting to excessive gore or exploitative material (though some also found the twists in its second half to be unnecessarily exploitative and tasteless). On top of that, it was a box office success and grossed $157 million against a production budget of just under $10 million, all but guaranteeing a sequel would eventually come to pass. And while Don't Breathe 2 did indeed enter development shortly after the original movie hit theaters, it's been slower to move forward than expected.

Now, it appears that's about to change. THR is reporting Don't Breathe 2 is getting ready to begin production this April, with Sayagues making his directorial debut from a script he co-wrote with Don't Breathe director Fede Álvarez. As for the plot, THR says the sequel will pick up in real-time (read: several years after the first movie) and find The Blind Man (once again played by Lang) living a quiet life - that is, until the sins of his past catch up to him.


Álvarez has been teasing his idea for Don't Breathe 2 since late 2016, describing it as a "really different" approach to a sequel. The first Don't Breathe concluded with Rocky and her sister about to flee to Los Angeles when she learns (via a local news report) The Blind Man survived their final encounter and is recovering in a hospital. While the implication was the latter might try and hunt Rocky down in the sequel (taking advantage of the fact that she's the only person still alive who knows just how deadly and messed-up he really is), that apparently won't be the case. Instead, Don't Breathe 2 will bring the action back to the setting of the original movie for what sounds like another twist on the typical home invasion thriller.

There's no mention of Levy in THR's article, so it's hard to say if Rocky will be a part of Don't Breathe 2 or not. Considering what we already know about The Blind Man, though, it wouldn't be too difficult to believe he's done other terrible things that weren't brought up in the first Don't Breathe and will have to reckon with them in the sequel. Of course, it's also possible (for reasons that have yet to be explained) Rocky will be forced to return to her old hometown and confront the ghosts of her past in Don't Breathe 2. Either way, additional information should be arriving soon, as the film prepares to start production.