Jessica Rothe Says Happy Death Day 3 Is Inevitable

If you’ve been holding your breath waiting for Happy Death Day 3 to show up, well, hope you’ve got good lung capacity. It’s been seven years and counting, and the third film—officially titled Happy Death Day to Us (because of course it is)—still hasn’t materialized. But according to franchise star Jessica Rothe, this isn’t one of those “if it happens” situations. Apparently, it’s ‘just a matter of when,’ not ‘if.’

What Happened With the Last Two Movies?

Quick recap for anyone who doesn’t have the details burned into their brains: The original Happy Death Day (directed by Christopher Landon) made a killing ($125 million worldwide on a budget under $5 million). It was basically Groundhog Day if Bill Murray got murdered every night by a baby-masked psycho, and only solved his problems by playing teenage detective (and dying. A lot).

The sequel, Happy Death Day 2U, picked up right where the first left off—same cursed birthday (September 18th), same main character (Tree, played by Rothe), but with extra sci-fi and an all-new masked killer. It was more complicated, a little weirder, and yes, still entertaining—though some folks weren’t quite as hyped. The movie made $64 million globally on a $9 million budget. Still profitable, but a sharp comedown from the first film’s box-office numbers.

So, Where the Heck Is the Third Movie?

Here’s where things get a bit “Hollywood logic.” Even though Happy Death Day 2U made back its money (and then some), Universal got cold feet about greenlighting a third chapter. The reasoning? The first one made double what the sequel did, so now the future of the franchise went from ‘sure thing’ to ‘well, maybe one day.’ That’s why you haven’t seen Happy Death Day to Us announced—let alone in production—even though Landon made it clear he had a trilogy mapped out when number two came out.

Behind-the-Scenes Ideas and Dead Ends

• Peacock Streaming Event: At one point, Landon floated the idea of wrapping up the saga as a three-part mini-event for Peacock (Universal’s streaming service). Didn’t happen. Never got past the “this could be fun” stage.
• Crossover With Freaky: There was even some joking about a crossover between Happy Death Day and Landon’s other body swap slasher Freaky. For fans who had already started crafting elaborate fan theories in their heads: sorry, Landon says it was just a ‘fun’ rumor, no script, not even a treatment.
• Actual Sequel: As of a year ago, both Landon and Rothe were still talking like Happy Death Day 3 was ‘moving forward.’ After that, radio silence—until now.

Latest Update: Jessica Rothe Still On Board (No Matter What)

Here’s the fresh bit: Rothe just addressed the status of the third movie, and she could not be more committed. She told Screen Rant:

"I think, at this point, it’s just logistics. All I’ll say to you and to all the fans is, whether it’s next year or when I’m 65, pulling a Jamie Lee Curtis coming back for Halloween, I will be there to finish Tree’s story. So it’s just a matter of when they get all their ducks in a row."

Not exactly a release date, but you get the feeling she means it. So if you ever wanted to see Tree Gelbman solve another time-bending murder spree—possibly while wearing bifocals and complaining about her knees—apparently, that’s on the table. Still waiting on Universal to, as Rothe put it, get their ducks in a row.

Until then, just know the main cast and director are in, the story’s ready, and the only thing standing between us and another round of creative slasher time-loops is studio indecision. If anything changes, I’ll let you know. But for now? Keep replaying those first two movies—and maybe wish Tree a happy birthday (again).