Upcoming horror sequelDon’t Breathe 2has officially earned an R rating from the MPAA due to “strong bloody violence, gruesome images, and language.” Pretty much everything audiences could possibly want from their reunion with Stephen Lang’s The Blind Man. Directed by Rodo Sayagues, from a screenplay he has co-written withDon’t Breathedirector Fede Álvarez, the follow-up is being produced by Sayagues, Álvarez, Sam Raimi, and Robert Tapert.
The firstDon’t Breathefollows three friends who break into a mysterious blind man’s home with the hopes of scoring easy money, only to wind up fighting for their lives when the man traps them inside and starts taking them out one by one. This comes to us courtesy ofBloody Disgusting
Don’t Breathe 2will putThe Blind Man(whose name is Norman Nordstrom) in more of a lead position, with the sequel picking up with Norman now hiding out in an isolated cabin. During the years he has spent here, he has taken in and raised a young girl orphaned from a devastating house fire, but their quiet life together is shattered when a group of criminals kidnap the girl, forcing the Blind Man to leave his safe haven to save her.
Having become such a popular character since his debut,Don’t Breathe 2looks to be putting The Blind Man inmore of an anti-hero role, with Lang having previously teased the horror icon’s evolution, and his own confidence in playing the role this time around. “Doing the sequel, I felt a real obligation to really, really work more specifically on the blindness, cause I had the time to do it,” Lang said. “And so I hooked up with this amazing organization, The Northeastern Association for the Blind, which is located in Albany. And I began working with their director of orientation and movement. The second script was … it’s a different deal. And so I just needed to do that preparation there. When you’re working on the mechanics of a role, it’s tangible. I really, really enjoyed preparing for this role. Becoming the Blind Man again… with full confidence this time.”
The firstDon’t Breathewas a sleeper hit when it was initially released in 2016, and whileDon’t Breathe 2is a sequel, Lang has also asserted thatDon’t Breathe 2will carve out its own identity and be its own thing. “I never walked away from a scene on this feeling like we’d left something on the table there,” he said. “We really strived to get everything we could out of it. It has a tremendous kinship with the first film, but in many ways, in every way, it’s very much its own thing.”
With an R rating now confirmed, Don’t Breathe fans can start tofeel even more excited about the continuing adventuresof The Blind Man in a follow-up that was previously described by producer andEvil Deaddirector Sam Raimi as the “greatest idea for a sequel I’ve ever heard.“Don’t Breathe 2is scheduled to be released on June 09, 2025, by Sony Pictures Releasing. .
