‘Lights Out 2’ back in development as the studio hires ‘Animals’ writer: Here's what we know about the long-awaited sequel

After years in limbo, ‘Lights Out 2’ is finally moving forward. Horror fans have reason to get excited: the studio has just hired Connor Osborne McIntyre, the writer behind ‘Animals’, to take a crack at the long-awaited sequel. That’s the clearest sign yet that the franchise isn’t done creeping us out.Now, this isn’t some vague rumor. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the first ‘Lights Out’ made waves back in 2016, and a sequel looked like a done deal. But things stalled; scripts came and went, priorities changed, and the project spent years collecting dust. Now, with McIntyre on board, the studio is giving it another shot. Reports say development is active under New Line, which has kept its hand in horror by teaming up with folks like Atomic Monster. As for the plot details? That’s a total secret for now. However, usually, bringing in a new writer means we’ll see a fresh take: maybe even a full-on reimagining of what the sequel could be.In case you missed the original ‘Lights Out’, here’s what made it stick and kept the audience hooked. Directed by David F. Sandberg and produced by James Wan, the story of ‘Lights Out’ came from Sandberg’s own viral short film. The setup was simple, but it worked: a shadowy entity named Diana only appeared when the lights went out. Rebecca, the main character, thought she’d left her childhood fears behind, but her younger brother Martin starts seeing Diana, too. Turns out, their mother Sophie has a dark connection to the entity, and things spiral fast.What really made the movie a fan-favorite wasn’t some complicated mythology. It was the way it used its own title as the threat: when the lights go out, nowhere feels safe. With a budget under USD 5 million, it raked in close to USD 150 million worldwide. However, it’s been a decade since ‘Lights Out’, and fans kept asking why the sequel is taking so long. The first film’s success made a follow-up seem obvious. Sandberg was attached at one point, and scripts were floating around. But per THR, time passed, cast members moved on, and the momentum faded. At one stage, there was talk of a new family getting haunted, with the original characters stepping in as supernatural “experts.” That version never made it past the planning stage.Now, everything’s up in the air. With McIntyre writing, the story might head in a totally new direction. But a few things seem likely. First, the central hook, fear of the dark, won’t disappear. The idea of a monster lurking only when the lights go out is too good to drop. Second, there’s room to dig deeper into Diana’s backstory and her link to Sophie. The first movie left a lot of questions hanging. Third, don’t be shocked if this sequel acts like a soft reboot. After all these years, introducing new characters while keeping the old scares makes sense. That way, new viewers can jump in, and longtime fans still get what they came for.What’s more, horror itself has changed a lot since 2016. With a new writer steering the ship, ‘Lights Out 2’ could surprise us all.