A Bird Box Sequel Is Officially In The Works

What will become of Bird Box's Malorie Hayes? On Monday, Bird Box writer Josh Malerman confirmed a sequel is in development at Netflix, but not much can be revealed about the project just yet. Malerman, who penned the novel the film is based on, confirmed that the streaming platform would pick up a sequel in a new interview with Inverse. The writer, whose sequel Malorie is being published on July 21, is not yet able to discuss the film's plot, including whether or not the story will be similar to his follow-up novel, which is set ten years after the film ends.

Fans of the film will have to wait to find out more about the sequel, as for now details are being kept under wraps. "I can't say much, but I can say that it is in development," Malerman teased. "Sometimes it’s weird, all this secrecy, but I'm game." The writer didn't reveal much else about the upcoming book or film, but did note that the enthusiasm for the original movie inspired him to continue the story.

Bird Box, which follows a woman named Malorie who is protecting her children from an unspecified supernatural entity that shows people their worst fears, driving them to kill themselves, premiered on Netflix in December of 2018 and became a viral hit. The movie, which stars Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, and Machine Gun Kelly, broke records for the best first-week viewing numbers for a Netflix Original film. On Dec. 28 of 2018, Netflix tweeted about Bird Box viewership, writing, "Took off my blindfold this morning to discover that 45,037,125 Netflix accounts have already watched Bird Box — best first 7 days ever for a Netflix film!" The film even launched a viral trend, the Bird Box Challenge, to mixed results.

The film ends with Malorie (Bullock) boating downriver with her two kids, only to arrive at a former school that becomes something of a sanctuary. Malerman hinted that the plot from his novel sequel might provide inspiration for the next film, saying that he wrote the text with the understanding that Bullock might not be available for future Bird Box films. "I didn't have Sandra Bullock in mind when I wrote the sequel," he said

Netflix has yet to confirm the Bird Box sequel, or reveal any upcoming details. Given the runaway success of the original film, it always seemed unlikely that the streaming platform wouldn't revisit the story. That said, the COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdown orders have postponed production on a variety of film and television projects this year, so it's possible Bird Box 2 won't be available anytime soon. But for anyone who wants a sneak peek at what the film might entail, Malerman's upcoming sequel just might offer some clues.