‘Smile 3’ gets major update as ‘Hellraiser’ reboot director takes over from Parker Finn
Paramount’s third ‘Smile’ movie has found its director in David Bruckner (‘The Night House’), according to Variety. He replaces franchise creator Parker Finn, who penned and directed the first two movies. The project is being written by Nick Antosca (‘Hannibal’) based on a pitch from Finn, and remains at Paramount, the studio behind both previous films.
Bruckner has established himself in the horror genre through projects such as ‘V/H/S,’ ‘The Ritual’ (2017), ‘The Night House’ (2021), and the 2022 ‘Hellraiser’ reboot for Hulu. Bruckner also played a part in casting Jamie Clayton as the first female to play Pinhead in the reboot. Antosca has written and executive produced the pilot for the anthology series ‘Channel Zero: Candle Cove.’ The duo previously worked together on a ‘Friday the 13th’ reboot in 2015. They were working with Paramount on the project, which was scheduled to be released on May 13, 2016. However, they both left the project before it went into production. Now, 10 years later, they’re working with each other again under the same studio.
While the change had been rumored for months, it is important to note that Finn is not leaving the franchise entirely. He continues to serve as a producer on ‘Smile 3’ with Temple Hill Entertainment, with Jonathan Fass serving as executive producer. Bruckner’s slate so far includes a remake of ‘The Blob’ at Warner Bros. and a ‘The Caretaker’ adaptation starring Sydney Sweeney for Universal, based on the novel of the same name.
After ‘Smile,’ Finn’s next film is ‘Possession.’ This is a remake of the 1981 cult horror film, which won Isabelle Adjani Best Actress at Cannes. It is scheduled to release on June 11, 2027. It stars Callum Turner and Margaret Qualley as the main couple, and is being produced by Fass and Finn under Finn’s Bad Feeling banner. Meanwhile, ‘Smile’ was based on Finn’s 2020 short film ‘Laura Hasn’t Slept.’ It follows a psychiatrist (Sosie Bacon) who begins experiencing terrifying incidents after witnessing the death of a patient. She believes she is being haunted by a supernatural curse. Jessie T. Usher also stars in the project, and Kyle Gallner plays Joel in both films. ‘Smile 2’ sees Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), a pop star dealing with the curse as she prepares for a major tour.
Paramount intended to release the first film on the streaming platform, but test screens pushed it into theaters, where it opened at number one worldwide with $217 million gross and $22.6 million domestic, on a $17 million budget. ‘Smile 2’ also garnered major success when it released in October 2024. It debuted at No. 1 with approximately $23 million, and grossed approximately $138 million on a $28 million budget.
