Danny and Michael Philippou — the directors behind the viral horror hit “Talk to Me” — say they’re definitely interested in doing a sequel but the decision remains with A24…
By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer
SPOILERS AHEAD
First-time filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou may end up producing the best horror film in 2023 with their breakout hit “Talk To Me,” which has already earned over $17 million at the box office.
In fact, “Talk to Me” made $10 million during its first weekend at theaters, which was the second largest opening ever for an A24 horror film behind only “Hereditary.” Of course even before the film was released, the Philippou brothers were already getting a lot of buzz around Hollywood with the YouTube stars turned directors signing onto direct a new “Street Fighter” film based on the classic video games.
But what about returning to horror or potentially a “Talk to Me” sequel now that the first film has made back more than three times the original budget?
“If A24 gave us the opportunity, we’d jump on it in a heartbeat,” Danny and Michael Philippou told Rewind of the Living Dead. “I’d love that but it’s not up to us. Like we’re here if they’re ready. We’re down if they’re ready. So the ball’s in their court. Come on, A24.”
The film, which mostly featured up and coming actors from Australia, centers around a group of friends who find a way to connect with the dead through an embalmed hand that supposedly belonged to a medium or possibly a Satanist — encased in ceramic that allows the person holding onto it to see spirits from the other side. The person holding onto the hand can then say the words “I let you in” and those spirits will possess them — under the condition that it can last no longer than 90 seconds — while everybody else in the room hits record on their phones with the perfect amount of time to make a viral video for social media.
It’s a completely fresh take on the possession genre with no real DNA shared with films such as “The Exorcist,’ which was exactly what the directors wanted when writing the film.
“Mainly from my point of view, we wanted to make something that was modern and current,” the Philippou brothers stated. “So it’s like our experience with I guess just with youth culture today and how social media runs things. I haven’t really seen that portrayed authentically in films. Like what would kids be doing today if you could use something to get possessed? That’s exactly what would be happening.
“We all have this attention seeking antics about us through social media. We need to be seen. We need to be accepted and I feel like that’s what would be happening, if it was a real thing.”
Because the siblings first came to fame via a massive following on YouTube through their page called RackaRacka, they knew what it was like to become a viral social influencer and that gave them the perfect experience to use that in the film.
“Whenever you see a filmmaker’s perspective on what an influencer is, it always feels like this weird caricature of that and it never feels like a real person,” the duo said. “But I think the way to be original is not be too inspired by other scenes too much.
“Try to be inspired by your own life and your experiences and people that you know. Just try to be more personal with the story.”
What resulted was a unique story that has become both a critical and commercial success while putting the Philippou brothers on a short list among the best new directors in horror.
It only stands to reason that a sequel could follow with Danny Philippou, who co-wrote the original script, revealing that he was already jotting down ideas about a second film while they were still making the first.
“Naturally when you’re writing a film, when you like the world and the characters, you just naturally write other scenes,” Danny Philippou said. “There was stuff being written. Even when I was writing the first film, I was writing scenes for a second film.”
Of course because “the hand” has already been passed from person to person even during the course of the first movie, it’s entirely possible that the mystical object ends up somewhere else far across the world.
That’s a concept that intrigues Michael Philippou with the chance to potentially branch out for more spinoff films based on the original “Talk to Me.”
“Speaking of sequels, like having unique filmmakers from different countries doing their version of a story with the hand,” Michael Philippou said. “I think that would be really, really cool as well.”
As of now, A24 hasn’t announced any plans for a “Talk to Me” sequel but given the continued box office success for the first film, it feels like only a matter of time before the Philippou brothers will get the greenlight to start developing part two.
There might even be a perfect name already in mind for a sequel — “Talk 2 Me”
