Back in 1987, Terry O’Quinn gave an awesome performance as the titular character in director Joseph Ruben’s classic horror thriller The Stepfather. Audiences were were so shaken up by O’Quinn, the film spawned two sequels – 1989’s Stepfather II: Make Room for Daddy (which O’Quinn returned for) and 1992’s Stepfather 3 (where Robert Wightman took over the role) – and remained a popular enough title two decades later that it received the remake treatment in 2009. The upcoming thriller Stepfather, which stars Taye Diggs (The Best Man) and Tamar Braxton (Braxton Family Values) and is expected to premiere on the Tubi streaming service in 2026, isn’t officially another remake of The Stepfather… but it sure sounds like it.
Familiar Story
Variety reports that Diggs is playing Darnell, a survivor of childhood abuse whose unresolved trauma turns into a twisted quest to recreate the perfect household he was once denied. When Darnell’s new family doesn’t meet his ideal expectations, he takes charge by eliminating them to start the search again for his ideal family.
Production is already underway in Los Angeles, with Chris Stokes (You Got Served) directing from a screenplay he wrote with singer Marques Houston, who had an acting role in You Got Served. Here’s the official synopsis: After years of eradicating any family that falls short of perfection, Darnell ( Diggs) believes his new wife Asia (Braxton) and her daughters might finally be the real deal. That is, until tensions rise and they uncover his deadly pattern. Now, getting rid of them won’t be as easy as he planned. Yep, this sounds exactly like The Stepfather, but with more than one stepdaughter.
Behind the Scenes
Another previous Stokes and Houston collaboration was a Tubi thriller called The Stepmother, which has gotten two sequels, so it’s easy to see why they would move on to a Stepfather movie.
Stepfather is being produced by Footage Films Studios, with Stokes and Houston serving as executive producers.
What do you think of the duo behind The Stepmother reteaming for a Stepfather movie that sounds a lot like The Stepfather, but isn’t meant to be a remake? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
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