Will There Be More 'Talk To Me' Films? We Have An Answer

A24 has continued its legacy of taking over the box office with its special brand of art-house horror with Talk to Me, the debut film from Australian directors (and twin brothers) Danny and Michael Philippou.

The film is currently in theaters and enjoying critical praise and overperforming at the box office thanks to plenty of glowing word of mouth. The film opened in theaters on July 28 and beat expectations with its $10 million debut, which made it its studio’s second-biggest start in wide release ever, after Hereditary’s $13.6 million opening.

Some are calling Talk to Me the scariest film of the year or as we described it, “a no-holds-barred expedition into the gruesome world of horror — and make no mistake, this is a horror film — but on the other, it’s handled with such deftness and confidence, you can’t help but feel that you’re being led through levels of hell by an expert guide.”

It’s also faced some controversy with screenings being canceled in Kuwait simply due to the film starring nonbinary actor Zoe Tarakes. What’s particularly heinous about this decision is that their character Hayley’s gender identity isn’t addressed in the film’s plot or dialog. The ban comes simply based on Terakes’ existence.

“I am a trans actor who happened to get the role. I’m not a theme. I’m a person. Kuwait has banned this film due to my identity alone,” Terakes wrote on Instagram following news of the cancellation. “It is targeted and dehumanizing and means to harm us.”

“As much as it is very sad to be on the receiving end of this, what is even more heartbreaking is what this precedent means for the queer and trans people of Kuwait,” they continued. “Eliminating trans actors on screens will not eliminate trans people (as much as the government of Kuwait wishes it would) but it will eliminate a lot of hope. And hope is such a large part of how we live as marginalized people. It’s how we learn to move through the hatred and the mistreatment and the violence.”

But hopefully, this won’t be the last we see of them. Not only because Terakes’ character was a scene stealer in the first film, but it would make for a satisfying middle finger to the bigots who would like to erase their existence.

The question is, will the film get a sequel? When PRIDE spoke with the Philippous, they were both enthusiastic at the suggestion of making more films in the universe. “It’d be my dream to have a franchise,” said Danny. “I would love the opportunity to do a second one for sure. It’d be so cool.”

Well, it appears they’re getting their wish. Today, A24 announced it has greenlit a sequel to the supernatural horror films. “Australian YouTube stars Danny and Michael Philippou, who directed the scary thriller in their feature debut, will return for the follow-up film. Danny Philippou is writing the screenplay with Bill Hinzman. Plot details have not been revealed,” reports Variety.

No word yet on when production will begin, but we are rooting for more from this studio, directors, and hopefully (mummified fingers crossed) more of Terakes, as well.