Pratik Handore
Written and directed by Will Merrick and Nick Johnson, ‘Missing’ is a thriller film about a teenage girl’s search for her missing mother. It stars Storm Reid, Joaquim de Almeida, Ken Leung, Amy Landecker, Daniel Henney, and Nia Long. The plot follows June Allen, a tech-savvy teenager who searches for her mother, Grace Allen after the latter goes missing and is seemingly abducted while on vacation in Colombia. If you enjoyed the tense and taut thriller and its shocking twists, you must be wondering if a sequel will continue the story. In that case, allow us to share everything we know about the possibility of ‘Missing 2.’
Will there be a Missing 2?
‘Missing’ was released theatrically on January 20, 2023, following a premiere event a day prior on January 19, 2023. The film was originally slated for a release on February 24, 2023. However, the release date was moved up by Sony Pictures Releasing, who handled the film’s distribution under their Screen Gems banner. Upon its release, ‘Missing’ received generally positive reviews from critics and viewers alike. Its performances and pacing received praise, but the convoluted plot and predictable ending were criticized. It performed decently at the box office, grossing $48.7 million against an estimated $7 million budget.
Despite its strong critical reception and decent box office returns, a sequel hasn’t been announced just yet. Moreover, the creative minds behind the team are yet to express interest in crafting a fourth installment in the franchise. ‘Missing’ is described as a spiritual successor to 2018’s ‘Searching‘ directed by Aneesh Chaganty, who wrote it alongside Sev Ohanian. The two movies are confirmed to take place in the same shared universe as 2020’s ‘Run’ also directed by Chaganty from a screenplay he co-wrote with Ohanian. However, ‘Missing’ was directed by Will Merrick and Nick Johnson, who edited the first two movies in the franchise.
In an interview, Merrick expressed his and his directing partner’s desire to step away from the franchise and tackle a new project. “I mean, nothing is ever off the table, but we probably want to step away from the screen thing and do something else. Still innovative, something with really high life-and-death stakes. Another thriller, probably,” Merrick told The Gate. Similarly, Chaganty and Ohanian have also not confirmed the possibility of a fourth installment in the screens-themed franchise.
Given the strong camaraderie between the creative team and the positive reception of ‘Missing,’ a sequel will likely materialize. However, the movie is unlikely to be a direct sequel to ‘Missing.’ Instead, the fourth installment in the franchise will continue the trend of tackling a fresh narrative and introducing viewers to new characters and conflicts.
In ‘Missing,’ viewers are introduced to ‘Unfiction,’ a fictional Netflix true crime series that features episodes based on the stories of David and Margot Kim from ‘Searching’ and June and Grace Allen from ‘Missing.’ Hence, it is likely that the next installment could use ‘Unfiction’ as a framing device to loosely connect the movie with its predecessors. Ultimately, given the successes of all three films in the franchise so far, a new installment seems inevitable. A fourth part, tentatively titled ‘Missing: Part 2,’ or ‘Searching 3,’ could be greenlit in the coming months. Assuming production on the sequel commences in early 2024, viewers will likely see the untitled fourth movie release sometime in early 2025.
