Director David F. Sandberg’s career took off with the low-budget horror Lights Out, a cleverly expansion of his short film, that earned a whopping $148M back in 2016. Since then, Sandberg has moved on to bigger, but not necessarily better things, such as a pair of Shazam movies, Annabelle: Creation, and the video game adaptation Until Dawn, with more on the way. Now comes word from THR that a Lights Out sequel is in the works, too, but it’s unclear how involved Sandberg will be.
According to the report, Sandberg is aboard to produce Lights Out 2 alongside original writer Eric Heisserer. New Line Cinema has hired Connor Osborn McIntyre to write the screenplay, but there is no attached director. It’s possible that Sandberg returns, but he’s got a lot on his plate. James Wan is also producing through his Atomic Monster label.
McIntyre is a writer on the rise. Next up for him is the script for Ben Affleck’s movie, Animals, which hits Netflix later this year.
Lights Out centered on a mother, played by Teresa Palmer, who must protect her child from an evil spirit that can only strike when the lights are off, forcing the family to seek ever-diminishing sources of light. A really cool premise that Sandberg brought to life on a budget under $5M.
