Longlegs director reveals “glorious” reason he doesn’t want to do sequel

You’d think that with all of the success of Longlegs before it’s even released, director Osgood Perkins would be up for a sequel – but he might be done and onto the next. 

In the age of sequels, reboots, and franchise fatigue, it’s not all that surprising that certain filmmakers want to preserve the originality of their work. 

But if you take a look at Neon’s epic marketing campaign, which includes an extensive ‘web log’ of Longlegs’ case files and details surrounding Nicolas Cage’s titular serial killer, it’s clear there’d be plenty of room for a sequel or even a prequel down the line. 

Dexerto took the opportunity to ask Perkins his thoughts on whether he’d be game, and here’s what he had to say. 

“Let’s see how it does at the box office. That’s what informs all things. I think that, yes, of course, once you’ve settled on something that seems to work and people enjoy it, there’s the nagging impulse to think, ‘We could probably do that again and stretch it out a little bit.’

“But there’s also something glorious about leaving things alone, right? That’s harder to do, isn’t it? Isn’t it harder to leave something alone than it is to try to do it again?”

In other words, we could see another movie set in the same universe in the future, but for now Perkins is focused on getting Longlegs out and the wild reaction to it.

As well as earning a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the Neon horror movie has received widespread acclaim for its promotional efforts, which have included everything from cryptic teasers to phone message stunts. 

The plot centers on Maika Monroe’s FBI agent Lee Harker, who is assigned the unsolved case of the elusive Longlegs (Cage). But things take a turn for the terrifying when she unearths evidence of the occult, as well as a personal connection to the case. 

Longlegs arrives in cinemas on July 12. Check out our Longlegs review for more.

While you wait, why not also take a look at the other new movies coming out this month, as well as the films arriving on streaming? And if it’s horror you’re interested in, here’s everything you need to know about Terrifier 3, Smile 2, and 28 Years Later.