The “A Quiet Place” franchise is probably not quite over yet – according to “A Quiet Place: Day One” director Michael Sarnoski.
The prequel, the third installment in John Krasinki’s successful franchise, explores the early stages of the alien invasion depicted in the previous films.
Sarnoski expressed optimism about the future, telling the Washington Post: “I’m sure there will be more ‘Quiet Place’ movies. I would just be shocked if there weren’t any.”
“I’m not saying that officially. I don’t know of any specific official movies,” he continued. “But I’m sure there will be more ‘Quiet Place’ movies because people really love them.”
In A Quiet Place: Day One, Lupita Nyong’o plays Sam, a sick woman trapped in New York City during the invasion, while Joseph Quinn plays Eric, a young law student. The film delves into the characters’ emotional journey and the development of their camaraderie amidst the chaos.
Sarnoski emphasized how important character development is to the overall message of the film.
“If you can find a character story that we haven’t seen in this universe, then it can continue, with the monsters and everything and kind of a backdrop for it,” Sarnoski said of what he hopes audiences will take away from the latest installment. “I hope that moving forward, they put as much emphasis on (the characters) as they have so far.”
He also praised Nyong’o, 41, and Quinn, 30, for their “smart” work.
“When they’re in a scene together, their main focus is on the other person, and I think that really helped and it was really fun to watch and it just worked for those characters,” he explained. “Because you have to watch people try to understand each other without words.”
But finding the balance between emotional depth and horror elements was a greater challenge for Sarnoski than creating a film without dialogue.
“The hardest thing is finding the balance between the more emotional stuff and the exciting, horror-driven stuff, finding that balance so that you always feel like you’re there with the characters in these different ups and downs, and that the pacing feels right.”
Another major hurdle was recreating New York City to make the setting seem authentic.
“Conjuring up New York City was a big deal because we had to shoot in London and do something that felt like you were in the middle of it, right on the ground,” he added.
Sarnoski was initially hesitant to join a major franchise after his indie film “Pig” (2021), but was ultimately won over by Krasinski’s approach. The “Office” alumnus’ willingness to let Sarnoski bring his own vision to the project also sealed the deal.
“I was cautious about making the leap to a major studio because it’s a little cliché for the second film,” he told the Post. “You get sucked into a studio and that can cause a lot of difficulties.”
“So I thought, if I’m going to do something like this, I want to have a really good reason for it.”
“John came to me and said, ‘Hey, can you put your specific ‘Pig’ touch on this franchise?'” he recalls.
“The only guardrails they gave me were New York City on day one,” he added. “But beyond that, you have to come up with the tone and characters you want. It doesn’t have to be adapted from the old movies. It felt like I was being presented with a really unique opportunity to do a major franchise studio movie in a way I wouldn’t normally do.”
“It was a lot freer and there was a lot of encouragement to try new things. It just felt like if I wanted to make a big studio movie, this is the one I wanted to make.”
“A Quiet Place: Day One” was released on June 28 to positive reviews and set a franchise record, grossing $53 million domestically in its opening weekend.
The film is currently available for digital rental or purchase on platforms such as Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and YouTube. It will be released on DVD, Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD, and 4K Steelbook on October 8.
