Scott Beck and Bryan Woods were largely responsible for one of the biggest surprise hits of 2018, A Quiet Place. They penned the script, which Paramount then picked up and tapped John Krasinski to direct. Ultimately, it proved to be a critically-heralded, inventive horror blockbuster which, naturally, paved the way for A Quiet Place 2. However, Beck and Woods weren't as involved in the sequel, but there's a good reason for that.

I recently had the chance to speak with the filmmakers on behalf of their feature directorial debut, Haunt. During my chat with Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, I asked them what their level of involvement was with A Quiet Place 2, since that was something of a mystery. Woods had this to say, explaining that they wanted to focus on putting more original ideas out in the universe.

"We have to keep quiet about the sequel, there's not really much we can talk about. I guess what we could say in terms of our involvement. when the movie kind of hit critical mass, Paramount immediately, of course was like, 'franchise, franchise.' We're really not those guys. We wrote A Quiet Place to be an original splash in a world where, and again I don't mean this in a condescending way, we love comic book movies and sequels just as much as everyone else, it's just not in our DNA and our heart to create that kind of stuff. We love starting new ideas and new worlds...

That's where our hearts have always been, just trying to create original ideas. So in the wake of A Quiet Place, we took that as an opportunity to push several projects, but one in particular, a new original kind of splashy idea into the universe. And so that was our big play. Who knows? We'll see how it pans out. But we just felt like we would be hypocrites if we didn't take that opportunity. We're rooting for A Quiet Place 2. We know that they're shooting right now. They're very close to the finish line, and we're excited to see what it becomes, just like just like everybody else."

John Krasinski is returning to direct A Quiet Place 2 and the entire core cast, including Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe, are coming back as well. With that in mind, it seems as though the studio was trying to keep the core creative team together. It's not that they didn't want Beck and Woods back, it's that they simply felt the need to pursue other projects.

Meanwhile, Beck and Woods have Haunt coming out on September 13. Beyond that, they've also got their adaptation of Stephen King's The Boogeyman set up at Fox and another mystery project or two they can't yet talk about. Point being, they're keeping plenty busy outside of franchise work.

As far as the sequel goes, filming is underway now. New cast members include Cillian Murphy (Peaky Blinders) and Djimon Hounsou (Captain Marvel). Plot details are being kept under wraps for the time being, but with the release date creeping up quickly, it wouldn't be surprising if we see a teaser trailer sooner rather than later. A Quiet Place 2 is currently set to hit theaters on March 20, 2020, from Paramount Pictures. Be on the lookout for our full interview with Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, which will be up very soon.