After a decade of making a name for themselves on YouTube as RackaRacka, Danny & Michael Philippou‘s entered the horror genre conversation after their feature debut “Talk To Me” hit theaters last weekend. The film had already won over critics at Sundance earlier this year, but horror aficionados took notice after A24 won the rights to distribute the movie stateside. And “Talk To Me” is off to the best start for A24 since Ari Aster‘s 2019 film “Midsommar.” That’s good company for the Philippous to be in.
But the brother filmmakers are already thinking about their next projects, and in a new interview with THR, they revealed a prequel to “Talk To Me” could come sooner than audiences think. How soon? Well, the pair have already filmed it. “We actually shot an entire Duckett prequel already,” Danny Philippou told THR. ” It’s told entirely through the perspective of mobile phones and social media, so maybe down the line we can release that. But also while writing the first film, you can’t help but write scenes for a second film. So there’s so many scenes. The mythology was so thick, and if A24 gave us the opportunity, we wouldn’t be able to resist. I feel like we’d jump at it.”
“Talk To Me” starts with a cold open as Ari McCarthy‘s Cole tries to find his brother, Sunny Johnson‘s Duckett, at a house party. After Cole finds him, though, it’s clear that some kind of force possesses Duckett, and the party takes a violent turn, causing spectators to whip out their camera phones and film the scene. The opening sets up the rest of the film, as a group of Australian teens use an embalmed hand to treat demonic possession as a party drug, filming their friends under the influence. Obviously, their thrill-seeking fun eventually leads to disturbing consequences.
So will A24 jump on the idea of releasing a film from the Philippous shot entirely on social media and phone cameras? That depends on how “Talk To Me” does in theaters overall. But Danny & Michael have other projects in mind, too, barring their already-shot prequel or even a sequel to their feature debut. “We have a lot of original stories that we want to tell, but the “Talk to Me” stuff is exciting to us, too,” said Michael. “So the idea of a sequel, we wouldn’t be opposed to it.” Danny hinted that the pair have also written another horror movie already. “We do have another horror script called “Bring Her Back” that I’d love to make next,” he said. “And an action drama,” Michael added. “And also “Street Fighter,” Danny continued. “You never know.” Legendary Pictures tapped the Philippous to direct a new “Street Fighter” film back in April.
So there are all sorts of possibilities for the Philippous as their Hollywood careers begin their ascent. But the brother’s personal touch may make their “Talk To Me” prequel an alluring release for A24. In the THR interview, the pair mentioned how cell phone footage of a friend having a bad trip at a party was a major influence on their film’s visual. “I just remember trying to capture that feeling that I had looking at that footage,” Dannys aid. “It was really bothersome, especially when you know the person. And the way that people reacted, I was like, “Why is no one helping this person?” So we tried to capture that with this film.”
“Talk To Me” couldn’t beat the likes of “Barbie” or “Oppenheimer” at the box office last weekend, but it’s already made almost four times its budget in theaters. The film stars Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Mirando Otto, Otis Dhanji, and Zoe Terakes. Danny Philippou co-writes the film’s script with Bill Hinzman. Although “Talk To Me” premiered at the Adelaide Film Festival last October, it had a successful festival run this year including Sundance, the Berlinale, SXSW, and Fantasia International Film Festival last month.
So is there an audience out there for a “Talk To Me” prequel? Let’s see how the Philippous’ debut does in its first run in theaters. But given the film’s success so far, it looks like its prequel getting a release is likely, and the Philippous have plenty of other stuff on the way.
