Best-known as part of the Radio Silence collective,Tyler GillettandMatt Bettinelli-Olpinseem to have another hit on their hands by way of their new Universal monster movie,Abigail. The film, about a would-be band of criminals who kidnap a little girl for ransomonly to discover she’s a vampire, is getting high praise from critics and audiences alike, and is projected to gross $12-15 million dollars its opening weekend. However, while Hollywood is big on franchise sequels these days, the directors have revealed that they didn’t go intoAbigailwith any designs for a follow-up.
Speaking toComicbook.comto promote the film, the duo behindScream VIand the wildly successfulReady or Notsaid that though there are no plans for a sequel toAbigail, they would return to the world of the 12-year-old vampire ballerina in a heartbeat. Tyler Gillett commented that their favorite movies to both watch, and make, are those that have a satisfying character ending. Check out his comments below.
“I think that we would return to anything Abigail-related in a heartbeat. There’s no design to do that.We didn’t go into this movie with any design to do that, because our favorite movies and the movies we love to make are ones that do feel like they have a really definitive and satisfying character end. Even if there are certain things that are left unfinished, we also love stories that exist outside of the frame.”
Universal has a long history of creating some of the world’smost beloved monster movies, includingDracula,Frankenstein, andThe Wolf Man. For Radio Silence, it was an honor to be able to play in their sandbox, and to work with Alisha Weir, who portrays the titular character. Gillett calls her an “incredible actor.”
“Look, we’ll show up to do anything with this incredible actor.And to work with Universal again would be such an honor.”
Melissa Barrera Was Excited About Abigail
In addition to Alisha Weir, Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin assembled an all-star cast forAbigail, including Angus Cloud (in his final film role before his death), Dan Stevens, and Melissa Barrera. Radio Silence had worked with Barrera previously onScream VI, and while she was concerned about the role of Joey being similar to that of her role as Samantha Carpenter in theScreamfranchise, she was excited about the chance to create something new. Appearing on an episode of ‘Collider Ladies Night,’ Barrera called her role in Abigail a “challenge.”
“On paper, the role felt very straightforward and potentially very similar to Sam in Scream. So, I was like, ‘Okay, cool. How can I make her different? How can I make her distinct?’ Especially since I just did Scream VI, and so I don’t want people to think, ‘Oh, she’s doing the same thing,’ you know? That’s never what you want.So, I was like, ‘Okay, this is a challenge. This is cool.’And I was excited about this strong, observant, kind of cold criminal woman that is the character.”
Dracula’s Daughter Could Become the Next Horror Icon
Dracula’s daughter, Abigail, appears to be a sadistic killer and a chip off the old block in her upcoming feature film.
Barrera will appear next in the biographical filmThe Collaboration, which is currently in post-production, and as for Radio Silence, Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin might be returning to the world ofReady or Notfor their next film, as the duo have revealedthat aReady or Not 2script has been completed.
Abigailis now playing in theaters nationwide.
