Why Jeff Nichols walked away from A Quiet Place: Day One

Once upon a time, Jeff Nichols was tapped to write and direct a new Quiet Place movie. However, one year later, he exited the project with little explanation. While speaking with The Wrap, Nichols finally explained why he decided to walk away.

“[John Krasinski] was a fan of my films and was asking me if I wanted to make this prequel,” Nichols recalled. “At the time, the calculus was, well, those movies are pretty good. And I liked what they said about sacrifice and family. It felt thematically in line with some of the stuff I had made. I hatched an idea of how to how to approach it in a way that I felt comfortable with, that he seemed to like. I was like, I think this is a movie that could get made.“

After Nichols submitted his script, he came to realize that it wasn’t going to be the best fit. “It’s hard to say this without sounding pretentious but I’ve made enough films at this point in my career, that if I do this, it’s going to become my film,” he said. “And the truth is ‘Quiet Place,’ those are his films.” Nichols added, “At some point, you realize, it’s never going to be my film. It’s better if I just step away and let some other people do that.” The project eventually became A Quiet Place: Day One, with Michael Sarnoski (Pig) writing and directing. The film stars Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn, and as you might tell from the title, it takes place on the first day of the alien invasion. The film is set to hit theaters on June 28th.

When Jeff Nichols departed the Quiet Place movie, he turned his attention to The Bikeriders. Starring Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, and Norman Reedus, the film chronicles “the rise of a midwestern motorcycle club, the Vandals. Seen through the lives of its members, the club evolves over the course of a decade from a gathering place for local outsiders into a more sinister gang, threatening the original group’s unique way of life.” The Bikeriders is now playing in theaters, and you can check out a glowing review from our own Chris Bumbray right here.