Lupita Nyong’o to Star in ‘A Quiet Place’ Spinoff

Do you hear that? Listen carefully and you’ll pick up the faint sound of a successful franchise mutating into a cinematic universe.

In this case, the franchise is A Quiet Place, which has grossed more than $630 million worldwide to date across two well-received movies. A third entry in the main storyline is in the works, but a spinoff movie titled A Quiet Place: Day One is also moving forward, based on an idea from the franchise’s writer/director, John Krasinski. The film will be written and directed by Michael Sarnoski, whose debut feature, Pig with Nicolas Cage, was one of the best American movies of recent years. (When this project was first announced back in the fall of 2020 Jeff Nichols, who made Take Shelter and Midnight Special, was attached as writer/director.)

According to Deadline, Day One is designed to “set up a potential Quiet Place universe that the studio can build on for years to come. It also is known that, while not out of the question, Emily Blunt and Krasinski likely won’t reprise their roles in this installment.”

With no guarantee of Blunt and Krasinski appearances, Day One needs a star. Per Deadline, that will be Lupita Nyong’o, who has already proven her horror bonafides as the star of Jordan Peele’s fascinating film Us. The Oscar winning actress has also appeared in the recent Star Wars sequels and will soon reprise her role as Marvel’s Nakia in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

A Quiet Place: Day One is scheduled to open in theaters on March 8, 2024. Although Deadline describes it as a spinoff, the title suggests it’s a prequel that takes place in the beginning of the invasion of sound-attracted aliens who have destroyed society in the earlier two films. We’ll see if that turns out to be true…