Upcoming horror sequel Don't Breathe 2 takes the decision of putting the villain from the first movie, The Blind Man, in the lead role. Considering the character's history of kidnapping, murder and sexual assault, this has led to some controversy, with many whether he should really be portrayed as an antihero figure in the sequel. Producer Fede Álvarez though has hit back at these critics, reasoning that nobody is just good or evil, and that some of the best stories often involve grey areas.

"We like to f--k with people. We want to show that things are not black and white. People are concerned he's an antihero? Shows like Game of Thrones drive you mad with empathy for bad people. He's more of an anti-villain. He may think he's not, or do some things that'll make him escape it temporarily, but he is. He's a shadow character, not so much the protagonist. There's so much more to the story."

Released in 2016, the first Don't Breathe follows three friends who break into a mysterious blind man's home with the hopes of scoring easy money, only to wind up fighting for their lives when the man traps them inside and starts taking them out one by one. While he begins the movie as the surprisingly capable victim, it is slowly revealed that The Blind Man is up to some nefarious things of his own, which has some questioning whether it's right to move into a central, more heroic role.

Well, this is exactly what Don't Breathe 2 intends to do, putting The Blind Man (whose name is Norman Nordstrom) in more of a lead position, with the sequel picking up with Norman now hiding out in an isolated cabin. During the years he has spent here, he has taken in and raised a young girl orphaned from a devastating house fire, but their quiet life together is shattered when a group of criminals kidnap the girl, forcing the Blind Man to leave his safe haven to save her.

"It just makes everything unpredictable," Don't Breathe 2 director Rodo Sayagues adds. "If it's clear who the good guys and bad guys are, you know who's gonna make it, right?"

Having quickly become such a popular character since his debut, it makes sense that Don't Breathe 2 will put more of the spotlight on The Blind Man, with returing actor Stephen Lang having previously teased the horror icon's evolution. "Doing the sequel, I felt a real obligation to really, really work more specifically on the blindness, cause I had the time to do it," Lang said. "And so I hooked up with this amazing organization, The Northeastern Association for the Blind, which is located in Albany. And I began working with their director of orientation and movement. The second script was ... it's a different deal. And so I just needed to do that preparation there. When you're working on the mechanics of a role, it's tangible. I really, really enjoyed preparing for this role. Becoming the Blind Man again... with full confidence this time.

Don't Breathe 2 is scheduled to be released on August 13, 2021, by Sony Pictures Releasing. This comes to us from Games Radar.