Smile 3 is happening — but the man who created the franchise won’t be directing it
Paramount has officially put Smile 3 into development — but it’s swapping directors as the series creator steps back to produce and moves on to a separate project.
Right, here we go again – Paramount is officially pushing forward with a third entry in the Smile horror series, though this time the person sitting in the director's chair is changing. The bloke who originally came up with all the creeps will be stepping aside (but not too far, don't worry), handing the reins to a new director and moving onto another film for Paramount at the same time.
Who's In and Who's Out?
David Bruckner will be at the helm for Smile 3, and Nick Antosca is on script duties. They’re taking over from Parker Finn, the chap behind the entire franchise up to now. Finn isn't disappearing completely; he pitched the main idea for this third go-around and is sticking around as a producer (Temple Hill is still producing along with him, if that's your bag). Jonathan Fass jumps in as executive producer, too, according to Variety.
Bruckner's not exactly a stranger to horror. His CV includes the 2022 Hellraiser reboot, the gloomy forest flick The Ritual (2017), and the supernatural thriller The Night House (2020). He's also juggling quite a few balls right now – there’s a new version of The Blob underway for Warner Bros.; Universal’s adapting The Caretaker (that one with Sydney Sweeney); and he’s prepping something called Mice for A24. Antosca, for his part, put together Apple’s upcoming Cape Fear limited series, co-created The Act on Hulu, wrote 2021’s Antlers, and recently handled Verity, the Colleen Hoover adaptation.
Smile has made over $350 million worldwide since launching in cinemas instead of streaming.
What’s Next For the Franchise?
As for what Smile 3 is actually about – that, Paramount is keeping zipped up for the moment. If you’ve followed the series, the first one had Sosie Bacon playing a therapist haunted by nightmare visions after seeing a patient top themselves. The second one threw Naomi Scott into the mix as a pop star on tour whose life goes ominously sideways. Both films have basically hit reset with a fresh cast and standalone stories, so don’t count on any familiar faces popping up – casting for the third film hasn’t been announced yet.
- Parker Finn wrote and directed both Smile (2022) and Smile 2 (2024).
- The original was supposed to debut on streaming but was bumped to cinemas after some test screenings went unexpectedly well.
- Combined, the franchise has raked in more than $350 million globally so far.
Why the Change-Up?
The reason Finn’s not directing this time comes down to timing. He’s still working with Paramount, just on something else: he’s now set to direct a new take on the bonkers 1981 cult horror Possession. The remake stars Callum Turner and Margaret Qualley, and Paramount’s already nailed down a release date: 11 June, 2027. That conveniently overlaps with when Smile 3 needs to get made, so Finn’s passed the directing baton to Bruckner while he cracks on with Possession.