John Krasinski unveiled the first-ever look at “A Quiet Place: Day One” at CinemaCon, the annual movie theater trade show in Las Vegas.
“One of my great joys has been creating and expanding the ‘Quiet Place’ universe, and I couldn’t be more excited for this next installment,” Krasinki told the audience at Caesars Palace during Paramount’s presentation.
Story details for “Day One,” led by Lupita Nyong’o, have been kept mostly under wraps, but it comes from an original idea from Krasinksi, who directed and co-starred in the first two “A Quiet Place” movies, starring Emily Blunt. The prequel diverges from the Abbott family and explains the origins of the post-apocalyptic world, where people must live in silence in order to hide from creatures that hunt for prey using sound.
“We follow Lupita Nyong’o’s character as she navigates the horrific first moments of the alien invasion in the loudest city of the world, New York City,” teases Krasinski, who added the film just wrapped production about two weeks ago.
In the eerie, nearly-silent teaser for “Day One,” Nyong’o is seen roaming the streets of Manhattan, which has just suffered a mysterious attack. In the background, the familiar echolocation siren of the horrifying sound-hunting creatures taunts the inhabitants of the Big Apple and threatens their way of living. The minutes-long teaser is also stuffed with explosions and upsetting footage of survivors attempting to hide — under cars or elsewhere — from the deadly monsters. only some are successful.
Krasinski turned over directing duties to Michael Sarnoski, who also wrote the screenplay for “Day One.” After the footage debuted to the excited crowd, Krasinski joked he’s jealous that Sarnoski got to direct the film. “He did a great job,” he said.
Krasinski had to surrender the camera on this one, because he had to make the family-friendly musical, “If,” which is inspired by his love of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” “I thought it was time I made a movie for my kids that they could watch before they were 40,” he quipped.
The prequel to “A Quiet Place,” which co-stars Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou and Denis O’Hare, is scheduled to release in theaters on March 8, 2024.
Krasinski’s 2018 film “A Quiet Place” became a box office hit with $340 million worldwide. The sequel, “A Quiet Place Part II,” was repeatedly delayed because of the pandemic but eventually opened in May 2021 and took in nearly $300 million globally.
During Paramount’s CinemaCon presentation, the studio’s president of domestic distribution Chris Aronson encouraged theater owners to shake up the status quo. “We should be experimenting with variable pricing,” he said. “Let’s work together to get it right and pave the way for more moviegoers to see our movies.”
