New ‘Longlegs’ Follow-Up Happening With Nicolas Cage and Original Director

Few studios or distributors know how to market a movie as well as NEON. Whether it be through quirky activations or well-edited trailers, the studio has tapped into the cinephile crowd and, regardless of a film’s merits, they manage to build up plenty of hype for virtually every release. From Possessor to Titane to Crimes of the Future, the studio knew how to scratch a specific horror itch that mainstream releases could never quite satisfy. Back in 2024, their marketing campaign arguably peaked when they were preparing for the release of a provocative new horror movie.

At the time, Osgood Perkins has impressed with The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Gretel & Hansel, but when he partnered with Nicolas Cage, it took his notoriety and his talents to new heights. Perkins also enlisted Maika Monroe, known for It Follows, The Guest, and Watcher, to deliver an experience like nothing else that has been released in the 2020s. Now, as confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, Perkins and Cage are reuniting for another Longlegs film. Given the events of that film and the fate of Cage’s serial killer, news of a continuation is unexpected, though the outlet confirms the new film is set within the universe of that movie, though it is not technically a sequel.

Knowing that Cage is returning and knowing that it’s a new chapter in the series would make us think we could be getting a prequel, potentially exploring other crimes that Longlegs carried out before the events of the 2024 movie. However, this report doesn’t say he will be reprising his role, just that he will star in the picture, so it’s also possible that Cage will star as an all-new figure in the follow-up.

As if a new Longlegs movie happening at all isn’t enough of a surprise, this new report confirms that NEON won’t be producing this time around and the project will instead be developed at Paramount Pictures. The report claims that the scope and scale of the project extends beyond the types of movies NEON typically develops, resulting in the pivot.

The original movie focused on Lee Harker (Monroe), an FBI agent with a seemingly otherworldly ability of catching killers. These skills came in handy when she was tasked with a case that also seemed to defy the laws of reality, which were carried out by Cage’s “Longlegs.” Perkins borrowed elements of police procedurals like The Silence of the Lambs and Se7en, while also injecting horror tropes like cults, creepy dolls, and telekinesis.

Given that the first film featured a handful of flashbacks, showcasing how Longlegs pulled off murders over an extended number of years, it’s easy to predict a new film in the series could explore another point in time. However, if NEON pulled out of the project due to its large scale, it’s anyone’s guess what Perkins and Cage have in store.