FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S 2 Will Be More "Fan-Centric" According to Matthew Lillard
Matthew Lillard recently opened up a bit about Five Nights at Freddy's 2. In the first movie, it was revealed that his mild-mannered character was actually the mastermind behind the killer animatronics, William Afton.
The first film was a lot of fun, but it sounds like the sequel is going to cater to the fans of the franchise a little more. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Lillard teased what we can expect from the sequel.
The actor shared that the filmmakers listened to the criticism of the fans: "'I always come back' is my last line of the movie, so I'm coming back, that's good.
“Here's the great news – I think the fans fell in love with what we did, I think Scott [Cawthon, the Five Nights at Freddy's creator] is the shepherd of this incredible project and I think collectively the filmmakers listened to some of the criticism that they got and they're growing as filmmakers.
“I think this film is going to be tonally a little different, I think we're going to have a lot more."
When asked what he means by that, Lillard added: "I think it's going to be an action-packed film, I think it's going to be very exciting. Again, I think it's fan-centric and I think they're going to love it."
So, we will be getting a sequel that will lean more into the fandom of the franchise and deliver a film that they’ll love.
Lillard also said that being in a franchise like this is a "game-changer" for him at this stage of his career, and added: "To have a franchise like that is very exciting."
When previously talking about the film, Lillard said: “I will say that I think the filmmakers have done a great job of learning from the first movie of what fans want, and I think they’re giving a lot more of that.
“It’s going to be more exciting, and I think it’s going to have more action. It’s going to have a lot of character development stuff. It’s hard to kiss around it. I think the story ends, and this movie ends in a really exciting way.”
Josh Hutcherson also previously talked about the sequel, saying: “It’s much bigger; the stakes are higher. There’s more animatronics being brought in, different animatronics being brought in, and the world just opens up in a big way.”
He added, “We’re finding the balance right now of building this world and expanding it in a really cool way but also making sure the characters stay really grounded.
“That’s something that I really think that we all fought for in the first film, because this world that was created in Five Nights at Freddy’s, it’s so out-there.
“It’s so over-the-top and wacky, in a way, that to find the emotional truth of the characters was gonna be what was gonna work.”
He added: “I think the fans are gonna flip for it. It’s gonna be a lot of fun with the source. It’s gonna be scarier, too, actually.”
Emma Tammi is returning to direct the sequel, which will be released in December 2025.