In October, Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions unveiled plans for “The Black Phone 2,” slated for a theatrical release on June 27, 2025, heralding the emergence of a “sinister new franchise.” Recent announcements confirmed the return of key cast members, including Mason Thames as Finney Shaw, Madeleine McGraw as Gwen, Jeremy Davies as Terrence, and Miguel Mora reprising his role as Robin from the first movie. Notably, Ethan Hawke will reprise his chilling portrayal of The Grabber. Adding to the anticipation, producer Ryan Turek affirmed to ComicBook.com that Scott Derrickson, the director of the initial film, will be helming “The Black Phone 2.”

Turek mentioned, “Yeah, Scott’s coming back. I think it’s too early to talk about anything else regarding that, but yeah [Derrickson’s returning].” Derrickson had previously expressed, “I can tell you this much, I wouldn’t make a Black Phone sequel without Ethan. I don’t think there’d be any point in doing that.” It appears that Hawke’s commitment to reprise his role contributed to Derrickson’s decision to return as the director.

While plot details and character trajectories for the sequel remain veiled in secrecy, the original film, inspired by a Joe Hill short story, delved into the story of Finney Shaw, a 13-year-old abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement. The discovery of a ringing phone allows Finney to hear the voices of the killer’s past victims, determined to spare him from a similar fate. Hill’s original short story can be found in the collection “20th Century Ghosts.”

Derrickson, who co-wrote the screenplay for the first film with C. Robert Cargill, continues his collaboration with Cargill for “The Black Phone 2,” serving as writers and producers alongside Turek and Blumhouse’s Jason Blum.

Derrickson’s return as director for the sequel signifies a notable shift from his previous approach, notably stepping away from directing sequels in the past, such as “Sinister 2” and relinquishing the director’s chair for the sequel to “Doctor Strange.” The forthcoming “The Black Phone 2” marks his directorial return to a sequel of his own film, a departure from his previous directorial contributions to horror anthology sequels and his feature directorial debut with “Hellraiser: Inferno.”