The Heart Eyes Killer will return to the big screen in 2028.
THR reports that Paramount has a sequel to last year’s slasher “Heart Eyes” locked for a Valentine’s Day weekend theatrical release that year, on February 11. Josh Ruben returns to direct the follow-up and co-writes its script with Darcy Fowler, from a story by Christopher Landon and Michael Kennedy (who wrote the 2025 original). Landon also produces the sequel via Divide/Conquer. Paramount will co-produce and co-finance “Heart Eyes 2” with Spyglass Media Group, with Spyglass also handling the film’s global distribution.
But the bigger question is, will Mason Gooding and Olivia Hoult also return? That’s up in the air right now, but it’s a safe bet. The pair starred in the original as a pair of co-workers who have eyes for each other, only for their meet-cute to go sideways when, the Heart Eyes Killer, a serial killer targeting couples around various American cities, gets them in their sights. Gigi Zumbado, Michael Watkins, Devon Sawa, Jordana Brewster, and Yoson An also starred in the film.
Critics liked “Heart Eyes” on the whole, and the slasher/rom-com mash-up did do well at the box office, making $33.1 million globally on an $18 million budget. That’s in no small part due to Landon’s involvement, a horror multi-hyphenate with a magic touch for blending the slasher set-up in inventive ways. Another thing that’s intriguing here: “Heart Eyes 2” will not be a rush job like its predecessor. Ruben shot the 2025 film on the fly, first pitching it on Valentine’s Day 2024, with the movie hitting the big screen just a year later. Will some more time to develop the story breed better results? We’ll see. The original was quietly one of the better horror movies to reach audiences last year: formulaic but fresh, and flush with memorable kills for HEK.
Stay tuned for more details on “Heart Eyes 2,” like if Gooding and Hoult will return to star, as they arrive.
