HAPPY DEATH DAY 3 Is Ready to Go, Jessica Rothe Says They’re Waiting on Universal and Blumhouse
After years of wondering whether Tree Gelbman will get dragged into another murderous time loop, Happy Death Day 3 finally has some real movement.
Jessica Rothe says she and filmmaker Chris Landon have cracked the story for the third movie, and now they’re waiting for Universal Pictures and Blumhouse to give it the greenlight.
Rothe shared the update while speaking with Deadline, revealing that she and Landon recently got together and worked out the entire story.
“So, Chris Landon and I have actually broken the whole story, which was really fun,” Rothe reveals. “We went to an undisclosed location—a Le Pain Quotidien in between our houses—and sat there for hours and broke the third movie. And now, we’re just waiting for Universal and Blumhouse to [give us] just a little money. This is a Deadline exclusive. You heard it here first.”
That’s one of the most encouraging updates we’ve had on the long-awaited sequel. The creative work is moving forward, Rothe and Landon know what the movie will be, and the biggest remaining obstacle appears to be getting Universal and Blumhouse to officially back it.
Rothe previously said that she and Landon were committed to doing as much work as possible before taking the project back to the studio.
“We are dedicated to do the legwork on our end, in terms of developing it and getting it to where it needs to be so that it becomes a no-brainer for the studio. Chris feels really strongly, and I agree, he’s come up with an incredible, incredible end of the trilogy and a way to kind of perfectly cap the movies.”
The financial history of the franchise may be part of what Universal and Blumhouse are considering. Happy Death Day was a major success in 2017, earning $125 million worldwide. Its 2019 sequel, Happy Death Day 2U, dropped to $64 million globally, which likely hasn’t helped the chances of getting a third movie made.
Still, Landon has had ideas for the finale for years. Back in 2020, he revealed that the working title was Happy Death Day to Us and described the planned third installment as being “different than the other two films.”
The good news is that Happy Death Day 3 sounds less like everyone involved would like to make and more like an actual movie waiting for studio approval. Rothe and Landon are ready. They’ve figured out the story. Now Universal and Blumhouse just need to open the wallet and let Tree die a few more times.
Come on, guys. Let them finish the trilogy!