The Strangers: Chapter 1

The Strangers: Chapter 1 is an upcoming American slasher film directed by Renny Harlin, and written by Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland and Amber Loutfi. It stars Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez and is the third film in the The Strangers film series.
It is the first installment of a new trilogy of standalone sequel films, where Chapter 1 will follow a similar premise to the original release, before continuing from there and expanding the story-arc for the main characters. Though initially marketed as a reboot of the franchise, it has since been clarified that the films will take place in the same continuity as the first two installments. The plot centers around a couple who come into contact with the three psychopathic masked strangers while on a roadtrip.
The Strangers: Chapter 1 is scheduled to be released in 2024.
Premise
Maya drives across the country with her longtime boyfriend, Ryan, as the pair begin a new life together in the Pacific Northwest. Along the way, their car breaks down in Venus, Oregon and they are forced to spend the night in an isolated Airbnb home. Through the night they are terrorized by three murderous masked strangers.
Cast
Madelaine Petsch as Maya
Froy Gutierrez as Ryan
Rachel Shenton as Debbie
Gabriel Basso
Ema Horvath
Florian Clare as Chris Sampson
Rebecka Johnston as Lucy
Miles Yekinni as Marcus
Ben Cartwright as Rudy
Janis Ahern as Carol
Ryan Bown
Brooke Lena Johnson
Ella Bruccoleri
Stevee Davies
Brian Law
Production
Development
In August 2022, producer Roy Lee announced plans for three sequels to consecutively enter production beginning in September of the same year. Renny Harlin was revealed as director for at least one of the sequels, though he was in negotiations to direct each of the films.
Later that month Harlin was officially announced as director on the three upcoming films; the first of the new trilogy, from a script written by Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland. Courtney Solomon, Mark Canton, Christopher Milburn, Gary Raskin, Charlie Dombeck, and Alastair Birlingham served as producers on the three films. The new trilogy is intended to be a relaunch of the series with producer Canton stating that the trilogy is intended to introduce new audiences to "world of The Strangers". Solomon stated that when they began the project the intent was to tell a bigger story than before, but also to "expand that world". The producer describes the three films as a "character study", compared to the previous two films. It was later clarified by the filmmaker and the actors, that the new trilogy of films takes place in the same universe as the original two films.
The trilogy will be produced by Lionsgate Films, Fifth Element Productions, and Frame Film, and will be distributed by Lionsgate.
Casting
In September 2022, Madelaine Petsch, Froy Gutierrez and Gabriel Basso were cast. In October 2022, Ema Horvath was announced to be a part of the cast. The following month, Rachel Shenton joined the cast.
Filming
Principal photography on all three films commenced in September 2022 in Bratislava, Slovakia and wrapped in November 2022. Harlin told Entertainment Weekly that it was "the challenge of a lifetime, but I also really embraced it. On a Monday morning, I could be shooting the second chapter, and Monday afternoon I could be shooting the first chapter, and Tuesday morning I could be shooting the third chapter. it was incredibly demanding for the actors, for the continuity in terms of the make-up and wardrobe, and for my director of photography, because we wanted to create a visual language that develops so that the movies get bigger, more epic, as we go [on]. It just kept all of our juices pumping all the time".
Marketing
The Strangers: Chapter 1, and the rest of the trilogy, had a panel at the 2023 New York Comic Con on October 12, showing a first-look of the films.
Release
The trilogy is scheduled to be released in 2024.
Future
Two sequels which were filmed concurrently with Chapter 1, will be released at unspecified dates in 2024. Harlin stated that the studio green-lit a trilogy to "explore what happens to the victims of this kind of violence..." confirming that the movies would detail who the killers are and where they came from. The filmmaker stated that they were intended to be neither a remake nor reboot, and that the tone was going to be close to the first film.
References
External links
2024 horror thriller films
2020s American films
2020s English-language films
2020s serial killer films
2020s slasher films
American horror thriller films
American serial killer films
American slasher films
Films directed by Renny Harlin
Films scored by Justin Burnett
Films shot in Slovakia
Lionsgate films
Reboot films
The Strangers (film series)
Upcoming English-language films