You’re Next put a delightfully bloody spin on the home invasion genre, earning the film a passionate cult following that has only grown since its release in 2011. Although the ending of You’re Next did leave the door open for a sequel, a follow-up never materialized. However, that doesn’t mean that director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett didn’t consider it.
In a new commentary track (via Bloody Disgusting) on the film’s new 4K Ultra HD Steelbook release, Wingard and Barrett detailed the sequel and explained why they’re glad they never made it.
“Originally, [the Lamb Mask killer] got decapitated in the script with his hand pinned to his head,” Barrett said. “But then we were like, ‘Ah, perfect opportunity, because this film’s gonna be a huge theatrical success, everyone’s telling us, so for You’re Next 2 we’ll just bring [L.C. Holt] back as the Lamb Mask killer.’ But because his frontal cortex is damaged by getting stabbed in the forehead, he won’t be able to feel pain anymore. He’ll be kind of crazier now, and he wants revenge for his brother.“
Barrett continued, “Our sequel idea, which I’m glad we didn’t do, was the notion that Erin would be arrested. She’d be basically blamed for the murders. Due to her jarring Australian accent, a jury would railroad her. She’d be instantly sent to prison by the corrupt American judicial system. While she’s chained to all these other prisoners, their prison van gets attacked. So it was gonna be kind of a Cut-Throats Nine thing, where she’s chained to a bunch of other prisoners, and they all take refuge in a meth lab near the accident. We were gonna use all the meth lab booby traps. Basically, my point is, it’s really good we didn’t make this movie. It would just make you like this film less.“
Wingard and Barrett have reunited for Onslaught, a “gonzo action horror thriller” starring Adria Arjona as “a mother who falls back on a particular set of skills in order to protect her loved ones after she runs afoul of a threat that has escaped a secret military base.” The film also stars Dan Stevens, Rebecca Hall, Drew Starkey, Michael Biehn, Reginald VelJohnson, Eric Wareheim, and Alex Pereira.
Would you have liked to have seen the You’re Next sequel?
