Heretic Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods talk about their plans for a sequel and prequels. The A24 religious horror film stars Hugh Grant as the sinister Mr. Reed, who invites two young missionaries, played by Yellow Jackets‘Sophie Thatcher and The Fabelmans‘ Chloe East, for a game of religion on a stormy night. Heretic received much praise from critics and the public, currently with a 93% approval rating for the first one on Rotten Tomatoes.
THE Quiet place writer and director duo recently discussed their plans for the future Heretic movies on podcast The Speechhosted by The playlist. Beck revealed that they already have”fun“ideas for”sequences” and “a great idea for a prequel“, as they like to start by writing the middle part of a project. However, they both love”starting something new“instead of making sequels and prequels based on existing ideas, which is also a”problem“they had with A peaceful place. Check out what the director said:
Yes, here’s our problem [with sequels]. We had a similar problem with A Quiet Place where we can’t help it. I remember when we were 11 years old and we were writing scripts and films, we started the second part. We would say, “This is the second part and then the third part,” because it was so much fun. Like the idea of sequels is fun. So we have a great idea for a prequel. We have a good idea for a sequel, but we also hate sequels and prequels. What we love is starting something new and asking the audience to come and see something, hopefully, that they’ve never seen before.
Heretic may receive multiple follow-up films
The director’s commentary confirms that both the prequels and sequels Heretic are possible. Beck’s comment also points out that while the religious horror film seems like a standalone event with a clear-cut ending, it’s just “act two“in the master plan of the duo of writers and directors, which indicates that Heretic has franchise potential.
On the other hand, the writer-director duo also revealed that they are actively developing five other projects, which means that if future Heretic movies happened, there would probably be a wait. The duo also revealed that they liked to switch between different projects, which means that a sequel will have to wait its turn until the directors finish developing other projects. That being said, they also confirmed that one of the five projects they have in the works is a “spiritual sequel” to Hereticleaving the door open for them to revisit their new world.
Our opinion on the Heretic sequels
Will Hugh Grant return for the sequel?
The writer-director duo not only have an idea about the next film, but it seems they already have plans for several follow-ups. This is unexpected and a bit shocking, given how Heretic ends. On the other hand, a prequel with Hugh Grant sounds delightful, as the actor’s performance as the sinister but seemingly non-threatening gentleman Mr. Reed is one of the best things about the film.
Hereticraving comments are another good sign that possible follow-ups will happen. The film, which talks directly about religion and faith, may end on an ominous note, but it currently has a 94% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is rated 7.3/10 on IMDb. With positive responses like this, it is very likely that the studios will order a follow-up filmand it looks like the writer-director duo is fully prepared.
Source: The playlist