A few months back came “Malignant,” a film which on the surface appeared to be James Wan returning to his supernatural horror thriller roots… at least at first.
Now comes the news today that conversations are underway in regards to a “Malignant” sequel, with actress Annabelle Wallis being asked by Screen Rant if she had been a part of any conversations about a possible follow-up. She says:
“We have. There’s plenty of ideas swirling around. We were very, very flattered by the reception and I think taken aback by the reception. So yeah, there’s lots of conversations happening.”
Whether Wan will be involved is not clear. The Aussie filmmaker is currently filming “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” and has various other projects on the boil.
SPOILERS AHEAD FOR JAMES WAN’S “MALIGNANT”
The first “Malignant” has become something of a cult classic already. The conventional (even tedious) first half, about the hunt for a potentially supernatural killer psychically linked to a young woman (Wallis), seemed an underwhelming choice for Wan. Then comes that twist.
From there it abruptly switched gears into a wonderfully ridiculous, elaborately staged and darkly campy tribute to 1970s Giallos that’s easily one of the most sheerly entertaining stretches of cinema in 2021.
Reviews on aggregate sites for the film mixed, but those who love it seem to genuinely love it and it is a divisive film by its very nature. Budgeted at $40 million, the movie made $34 million worldwide but was also released on HBO Max day-and-date and arrives on disc in stores tomorrow.