John Krasinski is reportedly directing A Quiet Place 2, and Emily Blunt is coming back to reprise her role as Evelyn Abbott. Last year, Paramount had a bona fide hit on their hands in horror/thriller A Quiet Place, which was built around the intriguing concept of vicious monsters that hunted by sound. In addition to being a box office smash ($340.9 million worldwide against a $17 million production budget), the film received widespread critical praise. Fueled by tense set pieces and strong performances, A Quiet Place gained some traction on the awards circuit this year, with Emily Blunt winning the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress and the film itself being named one of the 2018's best by the American Film Institute.

With that kind of success, it was a foregone conclusion there'd be a Quiet Place sequel. Paramount officially announced the project last year and dated it for May 2020. Plot details are being kept under wraps at the moment, but it's been known Krasinski was writing the script. Last month, he expressed interest in returning as director, but wouldn't commit to that yet. Now, however, it appears he will indeed be calling the shots on the followup.

According to Deadline, Krasinski is directing A Quiet Place 2 and Blunt is locked in to appear as Evelyn. Shooting on the film is set to begin this summer, so now the helmsman can dive into various pre-production responsibilities, such as casting and ironing out the screenplay.


At one point in time, Krasinski figured A Quiet Place would just be a one-off for him, but after discussing a possible sequel idea with producer Drew Form, Krasinski became convinced it would make for a good movie. In contrast with other franchise followups, A Quiet Place 2 will be based more around the world that the original film established, rather than specific returning characters. Krasinki's mentioned before the sequel could follow a different family of survivors and explore how they deal with the harrowing situation. A Quiet Place could morph into an anthology series, but news about Blunt's return means audiences will have an opportunity to see what happened to Evelyn and (possibly) her children. It's unknown how substantial her role will be, so she could just be a supporting character appearing in a handful of scenes and not the main focus.

For fans of the first Quiet Place, it's very encouraging Krasinski is remaining involved as the franchise's primary creative force. He approached the original from a very personal point of view, imagining the great lengths parents would go to protect their children. The end result was a movie that terrified the audience, but also delivered some poignant moments that elevated the final product. Whatever Krasinski has in mind for A Quiet Place 2, it's obviously something he's passionate about, so it's great he'll be the one telling the story. In the early going, he seems to have a solid read on how to continue the franchise, and fingers crossed A Quiet Place 2 turns out as well as its predecessor.