Warning! SPOILERS for The Black Phone.
The Black Phone's success begs the question: will there be a Black Phone 2? The Black Phone released to positive reviews from critics and audiences alike, with most reviewers praising Ethan Hawke for his performance as the villain of the story. Whether or not a sequel will be forthcoming may depend largely on the financial success of The Black Phone.
The Black Phone is based on a short story written by Joe Hill and details the capture of 13-year-old Finney Shaw by a serial killer known as The Grabber. The film adapts the story capably and its credits list Hill as one of its executive producers. It isn't entirely clear how much of a hand he had in the film's creative process, but based on comments by both Hill and director Scott Derrickson, it seems Hill is connected with the creative team in some regard — a good sign for a potential sequel.
As an adaptation of Joe Hill's short horror story, The Black Phone has plenty of opportunity for a sequel to come about. Derrickson, Hawke, and Hill have all stated in some capacity that a sequel is something they'd have interest in pursuing, given the right circumstances. Here's what we know about The Black Phone 2 so far.
In an interview with comicbook.com, Scott Derrickson said:
Joe Hill pitched me a wonderful idea for a sequel to Black Phone that, if this movie does well, I'm gonna do it. He's got a great idea, I really liked it. Joe's very protective and personal about his material, but he came to me with the idea and I was like, 'That's how you do a sequel to Black Phone. That's terrific.'
With both Derrickson and Hill on board, Ethan Hawke is likely to be willing to return for The Black Phone 2 as well, sharing with comicbook.com that he'd be interested in returning "if Scott was involved." He iterated some of his own concerns about sequels feeling like cash grabs and intimated that he'd love to come back to do a sequel that had the right intent.
With Hill, Derrickson, and Hawke potentially slated to return, the prospects for a good sequel to The Black Phone look much better than Sinister, his previous one-off-turned-series. Derrickson helped write Sinister 2 with C. Robert Cargill, but didn't direct. Sinister 2 was critically panned, with its Rotten Tomatoes score sitting at a very low 15%.
While it's unclear exactly what Joe Hill proposed as a sequel to The Black Phone, the story as it stands lends itself to many possibilities. If The Grabber's victims are able to call from the afterlife and have some sort of effect on the real world, maybe a sequel will find him doing much the same, albeit in a much more terrifying way. Another possibility is delving into The Grabber's past and learning more about what makes him the way he is. Nothing is certain yet, but with Derrickson's comments that Hill has produced an idea he's excited about, audiences can expect it to be both compelling and potentially horrifying.
The Black Phone was one of the most anticipated horror movies of 2022, and based on its success, its sequel might be even more so. It's not yet clear when The Black Phone 2 will come out. If the first film's production schedule is any indicator, it could be a couple of years before audiences see The Black Phone 2. Derrickson and Cargill had been planning The Black Phone for a time before it started. The two began working in earnest in early 2020 and the film premiered at Fantastic Fest in September of 2021. Based on this timeline, it may well be 2024 or 2025 before audiences see The Black Phone 2.
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