A24's Talk 2 Me Summons A Sequel With Directors Danny And Michael Philippou

A24's "Talk to Me" is the summer's surprise horror hit. With a low budget and overwhelmingly positive word of mouth, including high praise from Looper's Alistair Ryder, it's already a success, and it seems the studio wants to strike while the iron is hot. A24 took to Twitter to post "Summoning a sequel" along with the "hand-holding" emoji. It accompanies a video of the embalmed hand from the movie that allows one to commune with the deceased. The hand morphs into the number "2," which becomes part of the title "Talk 2 Me."

The Hollywood Reporter provides further details. The sequel will be written by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman, with Danny and Michael Philippou returning to direct. Fan response to the news was one of pure excitement, which is a testament to how well-received the first one was. In particular, fans love the title, and @welcometonezone had a fun (albeit implausible) idea for a third installment: "and then Talk to M3: Talkyo Drift." While the Philippou brothers should absolutely pursue more original ideas down the line, they may have just given birth to the next great horror franchise.

Prior to the sequel announcement, Danny and Michael Philippou had already expressed interest in pursuing other stories within the world of "Talk to Me." They admitted they had already filmed a prequel that focuses on Duckett (Sunny Johnson) from the opening sequence. They also discussed how they naturally came up with sequel ideas while shooting the first movie, so there's a good chance those ideas will materialize in the follow-up. 

"Talk to Me" certainly leaves the door open for more movies. The last scene hints that the embalmed hand that people hold to commune with spirits is still out there, so a sequel could feasibly follow another group of people who get more than they bargained for with the party game. It also feels as though the first film only scratched the surface of what's possible with the possessed hand, so more details could surface that expand upon the mythology.

What's even more interesting is that A24's Twitter video ends with "Coming Soon." Could this suggest a script has already been written for "Talk 2 Me?" A24 has already received waivers to continue production on some of its projects amidst the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, so depending on how long the picket lines go for, A24 could theoretically get one for "Talk 2 Me" since the studio has already agreed to abide by the artists' requirements. Production may very well begin sooner rather than later, so expect more details to come out in the near future.