Lights Out 2: Will It Happen? Everything We Know

Lights Out 2 remains in production hell years after it was first announced, but will the horror sequel ever actually find its way to the big screen?

Lights Out 2 has been stuck in production hell for nearly a decade, but there’s still a chance it could get made.
The sequel will focus on a different family being haunted, as the original actor aged out of the role.
Director David F. Sandberg’s busy schedule and potential creative challenges may have contributed to the delay, but the film could still happen.

Despite being announced all the way back in 2016, Lights Out 2 has languished in production hell for nearly a decade, but will the long-awaited horror sequel ever get made? Lights Out was the sleeper horror hit of 2016, and is based on the short film by director David F. Sandberg that went viral online. The story concerns a young woman who must protect her stepbrother from an evil force that has long tormented her family. Noted for its creepy visuals and eerie plot, the feature borrowed a lot of the simple charm that made the short so effective.

Like a lot of horror hits, Lights Out was a financial smash hit largely because it managed to gross nearly $150 million against a budget that barely reached $5 million (via Box Office Mojo). The high profitability made a sequel a necessity, and New Line wasted no time in announcing Lights Out 2 in 2016. However, nearly a decade has passed since the movie was confirmed, and the movie has largely been a non-starter. Despite a lack of strong news, the ill-fated sequel is still in development, and could eventually make its way into production after an extended wait.

Lights Out 2 Latest News

A Story Update From The Director

Even as the film continues to languish in production hell, director David F. Sandberg has offered story details for Lights Out 2. Because of the lengthy delay in the film’s production, Sandberg has revealed that the sequel will now follow an entirely different family being haunted by the force from the first movie. Originally, the sequel was supposed to follow Martin as he continues to struggle with his family’s curse, but the natural aging of actor Gabriel Bateman made that plot unfeasible.

Lights Out 2 Is Confirmed

The Sequel Has Been In Development Since 2016

Lights Out 2 was announced in 2016, and in the intervening years, the project has been stalled again and again. From the outset, director David F. Sandberg was attached to direct the sequel because it has always been his baby. Sandberg was recruited to make the feature version based exclusively on the effectiveness of his original short film which went viral. James Wan is attached to produce the sequel, and the horror maven reprises his role from Lights Out. Eric Heisserer who penned the first film, is still attached to the sequel as well.

Why Lights Out 2 Still Hasn’t Happened?

Sandberg’s Schedule And Creative Problems

Movies are announced all the time that never see the light of day, but Lights Out 2 seemed like such an easy cash-cow that many were genuinely shocked when the sequel didn’t immediately materialize. Now, nearly a decade after its 2016 announcement, Lights Out 2 still hasn’t happened, and the biggest reason could be director David F. Sandberg’s successful career. Immediately following Lights Out, Sandberg directed Annabelle: Creation, and was even enlisted to helm the successful DC movie Shazam!

Sandberg also directed the hit film Shazam! Fury of the Gods in 2023

While Sandberg’s schedule issues are probably the main reason that the film has stalled, it is also possible that creative challenges have made the sequel less appealing. The charm of the first film was the simplicity of its concept and its symbolic value. The ghost in Lights Out represented depression and mental illness, and it seems a bit disingenuous to make a sequel for the sake of money. Lights Out 2 could still happen very easily, but its chances of being a smash hit are considerably diminished considering the years since the first movie’s premiere.