Don’t Breathe’s final scene hinted at another showdown between surviving burglar Rocky (Jane Levy) and The Blind Man/ Norman Nordstrom (Stephen Lang).
Don’t Breathe 2, however, focuses solely on the latter, positioning him as the protector of an 11-year-old girl (Madelyn Grace) who’s been targeted by a group of thugs – a decision that hasn’t gone down smoothly with all genre fans given the character’s history of kidnapping, murder and sexual assault.
But producer Álvarez – who hands over directing duties to co-writer Rodo Sayagues – isn’t afraid of backlash, as he tells Total Film magazine in their new issue, which is out now. You can see an exclusive image from the sequel via Total Film here:
“We like to fuck with people,” Álvarez tells Total Film, noting the reaction to the film’s first teaser. “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.”
“It just makes everything unpredictable,” director Sayagues adds. “If it’s clear who the good guys and bad guys are, you know who’s gonna make it, right?”
Don’t Breathe 2 opens in the US and the UK on August 13. For much more on the film, be sure to check out the new issue of Total Film, which is on sale now. Check out the covers below:
And if you're a fan of Total Film magazine, why not subscribe so that you never miss an issue? With the current subscription offer, you can get the mag - in print or digital - half price! That's just £2.50 per issue. As a print subscriber you'll get the issue delivered to your door before it hits newsstands, and you'll also receive exclusive subs-only covers. Head to MagazinesDirect to find out more (Ts & Cs apply).
