Well, that didn’t take long. After a strong debut at the box office, New Line Cinema has given the go ahead on a sequel to “Lights Out.” The micro-budget film had a $4.9 million budget and has already grossed over $35 million worldwide since its Friday debut. Combined with the reviews that were better than most horror films, it seems like New Line has a new franchise on their hands.
Written by Eric Heisserer and directed by newcomer David Sandberg, “Lights Out” stars Maria Bello, Theresa Palmer, and Gabriel Bateman and tells the story of a family being tormented by a supernatural entity that only comes out in darkness. The film is based on a three minute short film by Sandberg that went viral and caught the attention of multiple studios. Both Heisserer and Sandberg are scheduled to return to the sequel, which will also be produced by James Wan under his Atomic Monster banner.
No release date is set for the film, but as with many of these micro-budget horror franchises, they tend to be turned around pretty quickly. Sandberg is currently filming “Annabelle 2” for James Wan, so he could begin work on “Lights Out 2” shortly thereafter. [Deadline]