Leigh Whannell will return to write Insidious: Chapter 3

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

After a hugely impressive $40 million opening weekend, Sony has wasted no time in announcing that INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 will be getting a sequel. The obviously titled INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3 will be scripted by Leigh Whannell who wrote the first two films as well as started the SAW franchise with INSIDIOUS director James Wan. Wan has moved on to bigger non-genre fare with the upcoming FAST AND FURIOUS 7, so it remains to be seen who will take over directing duties on the third film.

In a statement, Peter Schlessel, FilmDistrict’s CEO, Xavier Marchand, eOne’s President, Film Production, and Steven Bersch, President of Sony, had this to say about the movie:

“The release of the first INSIDIOUS resonated with audiences around the world and quickly became one of the most talked about films in 2011. This weekend moviegoers enjoyed the terrifying continuation of the first film and we are confident they will be excited to see the third chapter of the INSIDIOUS world. There is nobody better suited to bring audiences the next chapter of this haunting story than Leigh who has brilliantly written both INSIDIOUS and INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2.”

INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 only cost $5 million to make while the first film was a mere $1.5 million. These tiny costs are absolute gold for studios so we will keep seeing them until no one goes to the movies. Unlike PARANORMAL ACTIVITY and SAW, INSIDIOUS is able to pump out the scares but still keep a PG-13 rating which definitely helps the profit margin. In fact it is harder to make a non-R horror film because you have to focus on the horror instead of the gore. Even James Wan‘s own THE CONJURING (rated R) managed to be truly scary without buckets of blood and guts.

After only one week in release, INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 has been incredibly profitable so anything else is gravy. Let’s see if the third film can be as good without the same director. INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 stars Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins, and Barbara Hershey.