Fear Street: Netflix is developing a standalone entry in the R.L. Stine franchise

Director Leigh Janiak and the Netflix streaming service brought us a really fun horror event back in the summer of 2021 with the Fear Street trilogy. Three films that were filmed back-to-back-to-back and then released over the course of three weeks – those films being Fear Street Part One: 1994, Fear Street Part Two: 1978, and Fear Street Part Three: 1666. It was an instant franchise, and had the potential to lead to many more films… because, after all, author R.L. Stine has written over 100 books that have been published under the various Fear Street banners. Last year, we heard that Chloe Okuno, who recently made her feature directorial debut with the thriller Watcher, would be directing the next Fear Street movie – and there was even a rumor that she would be helming a whole trilogy of Fear Street movies, just like Janiak did. But during a recent conversation with Collider, Scott Stuber, the head of Netflix Film, said they’re only developing one new standalone Fear Street project.

Stuber said, “Obviously, there’s a lot of books. There’s one standalone that we’re working on right now that we’re once again trying to get the script right, but I like it very much, and so does the team. So I feel like if we can get that script right there would be a great kind of extension of that franchise.” He didn’t mention whether or not Okuno is still involved with the project.

In addition to Watcher, Okuno also directed the Storm Drain segment of V/H/S/94 and an episode of Showtime’s Let the Right One In series.

The three Fear Street movies we got in 2021 had the following synopses:

Fear Street Part One: 1994 – A circle of teenage friends accidentally encounter the ancient evil responsible for a series of brutal murders that have plagued their town for over 300 years.

Fear Street Part Two: 1978 – Shadyside, 1978. School’s out for summer and the activities at Camp Nightwing are about to begin. But when another Shadysider is possessed with the urge to kill, the fun in the sun becomes a gruesome fight for survival.

Fear Street Part Three: 1666 – The origins of Sarah Fier’s curse are finally revealed as history comes full circle on a night that changes the lives of Shadysiders forever.

It’s also not clear whether or not Janiak will have any involvement with the new Fear Street movie. When her trilogy was released, she said, “The stories within R.L. Stine’s books are centered around the idea of infinite repeatability. Every story takes place in this town called Shadyside and focuses on a different person who lives on Fear Street, but the films aren’t a direct adaptation. The spirit of the books is definitely infused throughout — it’s embodied in our story, our characters, and the overall craziness that ensues.“

During his conversation with Collider, Stuber went on to say that Netflix is looking for their own horror icon. He said, “I’d like us to find our own Freddy Krueger, our own Jason, our own kind of iconic horror character, and we haven’t really honed in on that yet. So the team is working hard on that because I think there’s a real opportunity there.“

Are you a fan of the Fear Street books and/or the film trilogy, and are you glad to hear there’s a new standalone addition to the franchise in the works? Let us know by leaving a comment below.