Will There Be A Malignant 2?
"Malignant" might have been delayed due to the pandemic, but James Wan's latest gnarly horror feature was worth the wait. Starring Annabelle Wallis, the story centers around a woman who experiences visions of gruesome murders as they happen in real time. It turns out that they're linked to her past, and she must get to the root of the mystery to make sense of it all.
The movie has caused a lot of buzz in horror circles and proved to be a hit among critics, as evidenced by the film's 75% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It's best to go into this one knowing as little as possible, but even if you have seen it, you might still be wondering what that bonkers twist at the end was all about.
Of course, we all know that James Wan is all about launching franchises. From "Saw" to "Insidious" to "The Conjuring," he's partly responsible for the existence of some of the most successful film series in recent memory. "Malignant" has certainly left the door open to that possibility from a storyline perspective. But will there be a sequel, or will this be a rare standalone number for Wan?
James Wan didn't envision Malignant as a franchise
While the revelations in "Malignant" suggest that the film's Big Bad will return to wreak more havoc in the future, James Wan revealed that was never his intention. In an interview with SFX, the director stated that he approached the project as a self-contained story and nothing more. That said, he seems open to the possibility of more "Malignant" movies happening down the line.
"It's kind of a tricky question," he told SFX. "Ultimately anything can become a franchise. They will find a way. Look at Saw. When Leigh Whannell and I made Saw, we were like, 'Jigsaw gets up and he shuts the door. The end.' Then when the movie did so well, the producers and studio were like, 'Guys, we have to make another one.'" He concluded, "So, yes, Malignant could become a franchise. But I set out to just make this movie."
Wan might not be interested in a sequel per se, but Warner Bros. might have other plans if the film performs well. Whether or not those proverbial plans involve Wan remains to be seen.