A new hand at the helm of Smile
Paramount has chosen David Bruckner to direct the third Smile film, with Nick Antosca signed to write the screenplay. The pair take over from Parker Finn, the filmmaker who launched the series, though Finn will stay attached as a producer through Temple Hill and is credited with pitching the outline for this installment. Jonathan Fass will serve as executive producer.[S1][S2][S3]
Bruckner arrives with a substantial horror résumé: he directed the 2022 Hellraiser reboot, the 2017 psychological thriller The Ritual and the 2020 supernatural feature The Night House. He is currently busy on several fronts, writing and developing a new take on the sci-fi horror classic The Blob for Warner Bros., working on Universal's adaptation of The Caretaker with Sydney Sweeney, and preparing to direct Mice for A24.[S1]
Antosca's background leans toward serialized suspense. He created Apple's miniseries Cape Fear and co-created Hulu's The Act, and his writing credits include the 2021 film Antlers and Verity, the recent adaptation of Colleen Hoover's novel.[S1]
What is known about the third chapter
No plot information for Smile 3 has been made public. The first movie followed Sosie Bacon as a therapist who is tormented by hallucinations after she watches a patient die. The second cast Naomi Scott as a pop singer whose tour is overtaken by a string of unsettling events. Because each entry has operated as a standalone sequel with a fresh story and new lead performers, it is not yet clear who will star in the third.[S1]
A franchise built on modest budgets
Finn wrote and directed both 2022's Smile and its 2024 follow-up, Smile 2. The original was initially ordered for streaming before being shifted to cinemas, where it became an unexpected success, earning $105 million in North America and $217 million worldwide. The sequel did less business but still turned a profit, taking $69 million domestically and $139 million globally against a budget of roughly $28 million. Together the two films have brought in over $350 million around the world.[S1]
Finn remains closely tied to Paramount, having secured a first-look agreement with the studio once the first Smile proved itself in theaters. His next project there is a remake of the 1981 supernatural thriller Possession, featuring Callum Turner and Margaret Qualley, scheduled to reach audiences on June 11, 2027.[S1]
