There were a lot of strong genre movies that came out in 2022, and one of the very best was Chloe Okuno‘s psychological thriller Watcher. It sounds as though Netflix took a close look at that film and liked what it saw, as Above the Line has exclusively learned that Okuno has closed a deal to direct the next entry in the streamer’s Fear Street franchise.
Netflix released an entire Fear Street trilogy last July — Part One: 1994, Part Two: 1978, and Part Three: 1666 — based on the popular book series from Goosebumps author R.L. Stine. Leigh Janiak directed and co-wrote all three movies, which were a hit for Netflix, making the streamer’s decision to release them over a two-week period in the summer (when there typically isn’t a ton of genre content) look rather smart.
Chernin Entertainment is producing Okuno’s new Fear Street movie, as the original trilogy was produced by Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and David Ready. It’s unclear whether they’ll be joined by Janiak, whose return to the fright franchise remains up in the air.
The original trilogy starred Kiana Madeira, Sadie Sink, Fred Hechinger, and Maya Hawke, though there’s no cast attached to the new Fear Street movie, as plot details are being kept hidden in a secret bedroom for now.
Okuno broke out with her short film, Slut, and directed a segment of V/H/S/94 before making her feature debut with Watcher, which stars Maika Monroe as an American woman who comes to believe that a neighbor is stalking her. Written by Zack Ford, the film has an 87 percent fresh rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
Okuno, who also recently directed the season finale of Showtime’s Let the Right One In, is represented by UTA. To get a sense of her chops, check out the trailer for Watcher below:
