READY OR NOT: HERE I COME Producer on the Film Expanding the Twisted Mythology
The game’s not over yet. Ready or Not: Here I Come, the follow-up to the 2019 cult horror hit, is officially in motion, and according to producer James Vanderbilt, it’s not just more of the same.
Instead, the sequel plans to mess with the board entirely, pushing the twisted Le Domas family mythology into new, darker corners without unraveling what made it so chilling to begin with.
In a recent chat with ComicBook about his new Apple TV+ film Fountain of Youth, Vanderbilt gave fans a few carefully chosen details about the film, enough to intrigue, but not spoil.
“There are a couple of different ways we are doing it. I don’t want to give anything away... What I will say is one of the reasons it has taken a minute to make this sequel was that we were really hard on ourselves on not just repeating what the first movie was, but also, not losing the sauce of what the first movie was.”
It’s a smart strategy. The original film, anchored by Samara Weaving’s feral final girl Grace, managed to walk a fine line between brutal horror and biting satire.
According to Vanderbilt, the new film builds on that without letting the mythology get bogged down in too much explanation. When referring to the original’s jaw-dropping ending, he said:
“It’s interesting because there’s a debate all the way through as to what is real and what is not. That is answered at the end of the first movie, so you can’t put that Le Bail back in the bottle.”
Writers Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy seemed to have cracked the next chapter of the story, and when talking about it, Vanderbilt said:
“What Guy and R. Christopher Murphy do in this script is incredibly smart. As soon as they pitched it, it was, ‘Of course that’s what it is. That’s a great idea.’ It’s such a great way to tell this story.”
What makes the sequel especially intriguing is its commitment to expanding the world without drowning it in exposition.
“I think it’s safe to say we expand the mythology without explaining the entire mythology. I don’t know if that sounds exciting, but it’s exciting to us. I think it’s the right amount of worldbuilding, while still telling an amazing emotional story.”
That emotional core centers once again on Grace, with Weaving returning to the blood-soaked chaos. But this time, she’s not alone.
The cast lineup is stacked with Ant-Man’s Kathryn Newton, Buffy legend Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Elijah Wood. Then there’s David Cronenberg, the master of body horror himself, who will be stepping in front of the camera in a rare acting role. Kevin Durand, fresh off Abigail, also joins the madness, playing a character said to be the “polar opposite” of his vampire-hunting role.
With Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett) once again directing, fans can expect the same kinetic blend of chaos, gore, and sharp wit that made the first film a standout.