Jessica Rothe, star of the time-loop horror-comedy franchise Happy Death Day, has confirmed that plans for a third installment are still very much alive. Rothe stated in a recent interview that she and director Christopher Landon have collaborated on the story for Happy Death Day 3, and are now awaiting a studio greenlight.
"Chris Landon and I got together and we broke the third film, which was such an honor that Chris would even ask me to do that with him," Rothe told Polygon. "We've become quite close, but we both feel a different kind of ownership over the trilogy and over Tree and her story. It was really exciting, taking his original ideas and implementing them into a movie we're both excited about now."
Rothe expressed hope that the success of her new film River might encourage Universal Pictures to re-engage with the idea of a third Happy Death Day movie. "I'm hoping that, with the acquisition of River and its hopeful success, that Universal reengages with the idea of the trilogy in a meaningful way. Because it's all there, we're just waiting for the powers-that-be to get the ball rolling."
The actress also shared her feelings about being labeled a "scream queen," a title she embraces. "I love it. I take it as a badge of honor," Rothe said. "It's funny because I am the biggest chicken — I'm genuinely afraid of the dark. I would have never thought that this would be where I am. But I think scream queens are badass. I think horror is punk rock."
Rothe finds camaraderie in the genre, noting the evolution of roles for women in horror. "Just getting to join this long line of incredible badass women who fight tooth and nail and are resourceful and do not quit — I couldn't ask for more," she stated. She particularly highlighted the experience of working with Jamie Lee Curtis, a figure she considers an icon. "She's just so epic and she's also so funny. She can do no wrong in my estimation. I would die to work with her. She's such a queen."
Despite her fear of horror, Rothe finds that her tolerance has increased due to her work and her husband's passion for the genre. She also appreciates how horror films can explore complex emotions and themes. "Some of my favorite horror movies are the ones that pull in real life emotions and take in the horror of everyday life and explore it in a really interesting way," Rothe explained. "The cool thing about the genre is that, if you told someone, 'Hey, do you want to come see this movie about the eventuality of death?' They'd probably be like, 'Thanks, pass.' But, 'Do you want to come see this movie about a family drama that then turns into a crazy slasher?' 'Sure!' People just have an easier buy-in with that, so we get to take them on a rollercoaster, but also there's some deep self-introspection that can happen at the end."