"Masterpiece" horror film's sequel starring Nicolas Cage gets major release update

The last few years have given us an impressive number of original horror hits – and it's perhaps no surprise that several of them are instantly looking to build on that critical and commercial success with spin-offs and sequels.

We'd already heard that a Weapons prequel focusing on the memorable villain Aunt Gladys (played to Oscar-winning effect by Amy Madigan) was in development, and now we've got a new update about a follow-up to Oz Perkins's 2024 smash Longlegs.

It's been confirmed that the as yet unnamed film – which will see Nicolas Cage reprising his role as the titular serial killer – has been dated for a cinema release in early 2028, specifically on 14 January.

Perkins will once again be both writing and directing the feature, though not much in the way of plot information or further casting details is available at this juncture.

It will certainly be interesting to see how it follows the events of the first film, given the fate Longlegs meets during the events of the movie. Perhaps it will be a prequel, or maybe Longlegs has found a way to return? He was in an alliance with the devil, after all...

The first film was a major box office success, grossing $128m worldwide on a budget of just $10m and attracting a string of positive reviews, even being declared a "masterpiece" by some critics.

In our own 4-star review of the film, we called it "impeccably crafted" and praised the "slow-burning build-up of dread" and the "inescapable bleakness... that gets under the skin."

We concluded: "Not every narrative decision works, but as a terrifying exploration of the nature of evil, Longlegs is a triumph."

Perkins has been busy in the two years since that release, but neither of his two subsequent movies – the Stephen King adaptation The Monkey and folk horror Keeper – have attracted anything like the acclaim of Longlegs.

Still, hopes will be high that he can deliver another truly frightening experience by returning to Cage's terrifying character – we'll be keeping our eyes open for any further updates.

The Longlegs sequel will be released on 14 January 2028.

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