Paramount has selected the director of The Night House and Hellraiser to lead the third Smile film, with Nick Antosca writing the screenplay and franchise creator Parker Finn remaining as a producer.
Paramount Pictures has hired horror filmmaker David Bruckner to direct Smile 3, marking a change in leadership for the successful supernatural horror franchise. Bruckner will replace Parker Finn, who wrote and directed the first two movies and is now concentrating on a remake of the 1981 psychological horror film Possession.
The announcement, reported October 28, 2026, also confirms that Nick Antosca will write the screenplay for the upcoming sequel. Finn will remain involved as a producer and has already developed the basic story framework for the third installment, ensuring that the franchise continues to draw on its creator’s ideas.
Bruckner is best known for directing The Ritual, The Night House and the 2022 reimagining of Hellraiser. His experience with psychological horror and supernatural storytelling gives Paramount an established genre filmmaker to lead the series into its next chapter.
Although the project is moving forward, Paramount has not announced a release date, filming schedule or cast. Details about the story also remain undisclosed, leaving open the question of how the third installment will continue the supernatural curse established in the earlier films.
David Bruckner Brings Extensive Horror Experience
Bruckner began attracting attention with the 2007 science-fiction horror film The Signal, which he co-directed with Jacob Gentry and Dan Bush. The independent production premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and helped establish his reputation for unconventional genre filmmaking.
He later contributed the Amateur Night segment to the 2012 found-footage horror anthology V/H/S. Bruckner also directed a segment of Southbound, another anthology that explored connected supernatural stories through multiple filmmakers.
His 2017 feature The Ritual followed four friends whose hiking trip through a remote Swedish forest becomes a terrifying experience. The film combined grief, psychological tension and supernatural mythology, establishing Bruckner’s ability to build suspense around characters struggling with personal trauma.
Bruckner followed that film with The Night House, a psychological horror story starring Rebecca Hall as a widow investigating disturbing secrets about her deceased husband. The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020 before receiving a theatrical release in 2021.
In 2022, Bruckner directed a new adaptation of Clive Barker’s Hellraiser for Hulu. The film featured Jamie Clayton as the supernatural figure commonly known as Pinhead and introduced a new group of characters to the long-running franchise.
His other projects include a planned remake of The Blob for Warner Bros. and an adaptation of The Caretaker for Universal Pictures. The latter project is associated with actress Sydney Sweeney, although its production schedule remains separate from Paramount’s plans for Smile 3.
Nick Antosca Takes Over Screenwriting Duties
Nick Antosca will write Smile 3 using a story concept developed by Finn. The assignment gives the franchise a screenwriter with experience in horror television, psychological thrillers and adaptations of established material.
Antosca created the Syfy anthology series Channel Zero, which developed unsettling stories inspired by internet horror fiction. He also worked on Netflix’s Brand New Cherry Flavor, a supernatural horror drama combining psychological tension with disturbing imagery.
His writing credits include the 2021 horror film Antlers and television projects such as The Act. More recently, he has been involved with adaptations including Cape Fear and Verity, demonstrating his continued work across television and feature films.
The screenplay will be developed from Finn’s existing framework rather than an entirely unrelated concept. Jonathan Fass is attached as an executive producer, while Temple Hill Entertainment remains involved in producing the sequel.
The arrangement allows Finn to continue influencing the franchise without directing the next installment himself. It also gives Bruckner and Antosca responsibility for translating the established supernatural premise into a new film.
Parker Finn Focuses on Possession Remake
Finn’s next directing project is a new adaptation of Possession, the 1981 psychological horror film written and directed by Andrzej Żuławski. The original starred Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill as a married couple whose deteriorating relationship becomes intertwined with increasingly disturbing supernatural events.
The film initially received a divided critical response but developed a substantial following over subsequent decades. Its unusual performances, psychological intensity and challenging subject matter eventually established it as an influential work of cult horror cinema.
Finn’s remake stars Margaret Qualley and Callum Turner, with Paul Dano also attached to the cast. Robert Pattinson is involved as a producer, although he has not been confirmed as an actor in the project.
Paramount has scheduled the new Possession for June 11, 2027, giving Finn a major theatrical project outside the franchise that established his career. The film is being developed through his relationship with Paramount following the commercial success of the first two Smile movies.
Finn made his feature directing debut with the original Smile in 2022, expanding an idea first explored in his short film Laura Hasn’t Slept. He returned to write and direct Smile 2 in 2024, developing the central supernatural threat through a different protagonist and setting.
His continued involvement as a producer means he is not leaving the series entirely. However, Bruckner will become the first filmmaker other than Finn to direct a feature-length installment of the franchise.
Smile Franchise Has Earned More Than $350 Million
The original Smile became one of the major horror box-office successes of 2022. Produced for approximately $17 million, the film earned about $217 million worldwide after Paramount shifted its release plans from streaming to theaters.
The movie followed Dr. Rose Cotter, a psychiatrist portrayed by Sosie Bacon, who begins experiencing frightening events after witnessing a patient’s apparent suicide. Rose gradually discovers that an unexplained supernatural entity appears to move between victims through traumatic deaths.
The film’s distinctive imagery centered on unsettling smiles appearing on people who were otherwise behaving in threatening or unnatural ways. Its combination of psychological distress, supernatural horror and a memorable visual concept helped establish the property as a recognizable franchise.
Paramount released Smile 2 in October 2024, with Naomi Scott starring as international pop singer Skye Riley. The sequel followed Skye as she experienced increasingly disturbing events while preparing to return to performing after a period of personal difficulties.
The second film earned approximately $138 million worldwide against a production budget reported at around $28 million. Although its total box-office earnings were lower than those of the original, it remained commercially successful and demonstrated continued audience interest in the series.
Together, the two films have generated more than $350 million in worldwide ticket sales. Those figures help explain Paramount’s decision to continue the franchise even as its original director moves on to another project.
What Is Known About Smile 3?
The third movie is expected to explore another story involving the supernatural entity, but Paramount has not disclosed the identity of its central character. Neither Sosie Bacon nor Naomi Scott has been announced as returning, and reports suggesting an entirely new protagonist remain unconfirmed.
The first two films followed different characters facing the same supernatural threat, allowing the story to expand without relying on a single continuing lead. That structure gives the filmmakers several possible directions while retaining the central premise that connects the movies.
Finn previously discussed the possibility of expanding the franchise while keeping its horror grounded in personal experiences. His comments suggested that future stories could introduce different situations and characters without abandoning the underlying mythology.
Bruckner’s appointment introduces a filmmaker whose previous movies have explored grief, trauma and supernatural mysteries. Those themes overlap with elements of the first two Smile films, although Paramount has not revealed whether the new sequel will follow a similar approach.
Reports have suggested that production could begin during the first half of 2027, but no confirmed schedule has been announced. A theatrical release before the end of 2027 is therefore possible rather than established.
For now, the confirmed creative team consists of director David Bruckner, screenwriter Nick Antosca and producer Parker Finn, working with Temple Hill Entertainment. Paramount’s next major announcements are expected to clarify the cast, production schedule and eventual release date.
IMAGE: Film director David Bruckner
© Michael Gluzman (http://michaelgluzman.design/). Photo: MIchael Gluzman / Wikimedia, taken 2009-09-06, CC BY-SA 2.0