Although there has not been any official confirmation yet, Spiderhead leaves open a couple of storylines that could be explored in a sequel. In Netflix's sci-fi thriller, action movie star Chris Hemsworth stars as Steve Abnesti, a scientist who tests his experimental drugs on criminals with life sentences at the Spiderhead Penitentiary and Research Center. Spiderhead also stars Miles Teller as Jeff, one of the inmates who Abnesti experiments on.
Spiderhead is a Netflix adaptation based on George Saunders' short story "Escape from Spiderhead." The novelette was adapted by the experienced writing pair of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. The duo's filmography features popular movies and their sequels, including Deadpool and Deadpool 2, as well as Zombieland and Zombieland: Double Tap. If a Spiderhead sequel is given the greenlight, the two are more than qualified to write it.
The behind-the-scenes crew of Spiderhead also boasts director Joseph Kosinski, who worked with Miles Teller on the record-breaking Top Gun: Maverick. Unlike Maverick, Kosinski's Spiderhead has received mixed reviews so it's yet to be seen yet whether Netflix will commission a sequel. Here's everything we know about Spiderhead 2 so far.
Currently, Spiderhead 2 is not in the works. Typically, Netflix gives their movies at least a month or so before announcing whether or not it will get a sequel. Red Notice was released in November 2021 and official confirmation for its two sequels wasn't announced until January 2022. Despite George Sanders' published story not having a sequel, there are potential storylines that Spiderhead 2 could develop. Ultimately, whether or not Netflix gives it the go-ahead depends on how it performs on the streaming service.
A Spiderhead sequel would most likely bring back Miles Teller, who played Top Gun: Maverick's Rooster, and Jurnee Smollett given that they were the main characters who survived the events of the first movie. Mark Paguio, who plays Abnesti's assistant, also called Mark, is another leading candidate to return given the character knows all the secrets of the Spiderhead facility. The biggest question mark out of the main cast is Chris Hemsworth. Although his character seemingly died in a plane crash at the end of Spiderhead, the movie played the classic trick of not showing his body, so there is a slim chance that Hemsworth could return for the sequel.
Given that George Saunders' short story was just a one-off tale, there is no direct source material that Spiderhead 2 could be based on. The ending of Spiderhead, with Abnesti's death, is an unambiguous way to wrap up the movie. Among the cast of Spiderhead, Abnesti was the only true villain and his death doesn't leave much for a sequel to explore.
If Spiderhead 2 does go ahead, then it would likely follow either the fate of Jeff and Lizzy or Mark. At the end of Spiderhead, Jeff and Lizzy escape the Spiderhead facility so the sequel could see the two trying to get justice for the trauma they were put through. Alternatively, the sequel could focus on Mark, Abnesti's assistant who has all the knowledge and secrets of the Spiderhead operations.
Netflix sequels typically take a minimum of two years to produce, so the earliest a Spiderhead sequel would be released is in mid-2024. Among Netflix's most watched movies of all time, Chris Hemsworth's Extraction was released in 2020 and its sequel is due to be released in late-2022. Production of Spiderhead 2 could take more than two years though, given the busy schedules of the movie's stars and production team.
Is Spiderhead 2 happening? Here's what we know about the Netflix sequel's development status, potential release date, story details, and more.Henry Austin