Hide and seek, the game that once made children laugh, made adults around the world scream in terror when “Ready or Not” (2019) jumped into theaters. As Grace (Samara Weaving) hid from her murderous in-laws, viewers were chilled to the bone from beginning to end seeing if Grace would become the sacrifice it seemed fate destined her to be. Nearly seven years later, Grace’s story continues with the release of “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” (2026) on March 20. After some time reviving the “Scream” franchise and directing “Abigail” (2024), directing duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett team back up with writers R. Christopher Murray and Guy Busick, to grace the silver screen with a sequel to this beloved horror/comedy. This time though, Grace has much more to lose than her own life, but also has much more to gain if she wins.
“Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” follows Grace right where we left her on the stairs of the Le Domas’ burning estate, soaked in the blood of the most tragic night of her life. But, what Grace has yet to understand is that this game goes much deeper than just one Satan worshipping family. Grace winning one game of hide and seek against the Le Domas family is far from the end. In fact, it triggered a new game, one with the mysterious High Council families. This game is far from new to Grace though, as she once again is forced to hide, this time in a much new environment, as members of the High Council family seek with murderous intent. The reward for winning, though, is much more than just her own life, but a chance to seemingly run the world. Not only have the stakes been upped tenfold, but this time, Grace isn’t alone in her survival, as her sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton), gets roped into this game of survival right alongside her.
This sisterhood dynamic between Grace and Faith immediately creates a connection that is not only entertaining to watch, but also opens up this sequel to explore familial drama beyond what this film’s predecessor was capable of. Samara Weaving and Kathryn Newton’s chemistry feels magnetic from their very first scene together, showcasing a strong but also damaged bond that is seeking to be repaired.
With the introduction of the High Council families as well, comes a whole new cast of characters looking to be the one behind Grace’s demise. Whether that takes the form of Titus (Shawn Hatosy), Ursula (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Ignacio (Nestor Carbonell) or any of this unique cast of characters, everything is at stake here. There is also the mysterious lawyer, played by Elijah Wood, who ominously dominates the screen through his stern but charming personality.
To expand upon the original “Ready or Not,” this sequel takes its hide and seek premise and adds new elements left, right and center, while maintaining the horror-comedy feel that made the first one so memorable. Between moments that make you want to hide behind your covers and curl in your seat, are laugh out loud moments that you’ll be repeating on your way home from the theater. This line between horror and comedy is something that isn’t easy to manage, and something that directors Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillet have discussed in detail.
Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, took the time to talk with fellow college students on Feb. 24, and answer questions about the filming of this upcoming sequel.
Gillett explained how their “approach to [Scream] 6 was really similar to [their] approach with [Ready or Not 2: Here I Come], it was how do you pay respect and love the thing that you’ve made, but also not be afraid to really challenge yourself, and by challenging yourself, challenge the audience’s notion of what the sequel might be.”
Even with this notion to challenge themselves with the pressure of releasing the sequel seven years later, Gillett noted that there was “something so liberating about the ingredients in the mix of “Ready or Not” that when returning, it just felt so comfortable to be back in the world that in so many ways was just like, we could do whatever we wanted.” Gillett believes that it was because the people who were returning for this sequel had “all come back to the experience with new talents, having gone and done other things, and it felt really fun to show up and challenge each other in a new way on a bigger movie.”
Gillett explains that one of those challenges that really presented itself, was “making sure [Ready or Not 2: Here I Come] didn’t feel like it was a video game, where… the hero is just meeting one bad guy after another and they get progressively worse, but that in those interactions and intersections with the villains, that there’s real character work happening. [And] there’s a real sense of progression and evolution of what Grace understands, what Faith understands, their relationship, and certainly what the villains also understand about the game.” At the end of the day it seems that for Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett, it was “just making sure that it was all really essential, and not just action for action sake.”
The inspiration for really making this sequel feel essential came from Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett watching and studying, “[Terminator] 2 and Aliens,” as Bettinelli-Olpin explains how those films “do something really special that make the first movie somehow even better and somehow add to that.” He later goes into describing how this all eventually culminated in “the idea of, ‘Oh, what you saw in the first movie was just the tip of the iceberg, and there’s this whole other awful cabal of people doing these horrible things, let’s put Grace into that the day after.’”
Gillett even hopes that within the first few moments of the film, that “as a viewer, you’re watching it going: “‘what the f*ck is going to happen next?’”
To find out for yourself exactly what happens next, and how Grace will react to this whole new game, worth as the lawyer puts it, “double or nothing,” then I can expect to see you in theaters on March 20 to experience the hyped sequel: “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come.”
Samuel J. Beadle is a second-year English major. sb1033446@wcupa.edu