Remember the 2008 horror thriller The Strangers featuring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, followed by The Strangers: Prey at Night in 2018? This time, the franchise will again make its way to the big screen as a trilogy. Lionsgate Studio is once at it again, bringing the brutal trio of killers, Dollface, Pin-Up Girl, and Man in the Mask, into the limelight. So, what will this new trilogy be about, and when will it be released? Here’s everything you need to know.
What is The Strangers Trilogy about?
The Strangers trilogy will be based on the original home-invasion slasher film directed by Renny Harlin. But he’s about to introduce it to the modern audience this time. The trilogy is filmed back-to-back and will be released next year, starting with its first movie installment, The Strangers: Chapter 1.
Led by the Riverdale star Madelaine Petsch as Maya, Chapter 1 will see her starting a new life with her fiancé,” Ryan (Froy Gutierrez). The two go on a road trip and stop at a remote vacation home in the woods. And true to the movie series’ fashion, they will end up as the new victims of a mysterious group of masked strangers who attack anyone for no reason. From a fight to stay alive, the movie will become Maya’s journey of courage and cunning that will transcend in three films.
The Strangers Release Date and Everything You Need to Know
So far, Lionsgate has yet to reveal when The Strangers: Chapter 1 will be exactly released, but it’s expected to come out in 2024. There are also no words if it will hit the theaters or be directly released to a streamer. But considering the film is based on a cult classic, there’s a big possibility it will be in theaters first.
Talking about the cast, the first movie installment will feature all-new characters. Sure, Harlin knew that it was hard to fill the shoes of Tyler and Speedman after their outstanding performance in the 2008 original, but he told Entertainment Weekly that they “looked long and hard” for their new scream queen and found it in Petsch. Though their names are not as big as Tyler’s, these two are expected to give justice to the franchise and their characters. For the complete list of cast members, you can check below:
- Madelaine Petsch as Maya
- Froy Gutierrez as Ryan
- Rachel Shenton as Debbie
- Ben Cartwright as Rudy
- Rebecka Johnston as Lucy
- Mile Yekinni as Marcus
- Janis Ahern as Carol
- Florian Clare as Chris Sampson
Ema Horvath, Gabriel Basso, Ella Bruccoleri, Ryan Bown, Brooke Lena Johnson, Brian Law, and Stevee Davis also join the film, though in yet-to-be-named characters.
Lionsgate has yet to reveal when the other two The Strangers movies will be out, but they’re also expected to come out next year.
Rebooting a Cult Classic
It seems to be a norm today that a cult classic movie or franchise will get new iterations—a spin-off, a sequel, or a reboot. Though nothing is wrong with bringing a once-loved movie or series back to the screen and introducing it to new and younger audiences, these adaptations always come with high expectations.
But some keep their expectations low, knowing that the remakes will never be as good as the original—though there are a few that surpass. As the second The Strangers movie, Prey at Night, didn’t come as successful as the original, we hope the new trilogy can make it and give justice to the franchise. Though it may feature the same premise, Lionsgate and Harlin should make it unpredictable, injecting a twist that no one will expect to see. Well, hopefully.