Freaks 2 Coming as Directors Return to Where Their Hit Film Premiered

Directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein say their 2018 sci-fi thriller 'Freaks' transformed their careers. The Hollywood Reporter spoke with Lipovsky, who said the film, which starred Emile Hirsch and Bruce Dern, "changed our lives."

The movie, about a young girl locked in her home by her paranoid father, premiered at the Vancouver Film Festival. Lipovsky told THR that returning to screen the sequel, 'Freaks 2', at the same festival is a full-circle moment. He described the first film as being about a girl who wants a mom, while the sequel follows an older version of the character who now wants a friend in a world that wants her dead.

Paramount Pictures has picked up the sequel, which stars Amanda Crew as a mother and Lorelei Olivia Mote as her daughter. The pair seek vengeance while surviving a world hostile to "freaks." Lipovsky and Stein are also coming off directing 'Final Destination Bloodlines,' the sixth installment in that franchise.

Lipovsky told The Hollywood Reporter that he and Stein now have a first-look deal at Sony Pictures and are working on multiple projects. These include an adaptation of the 'Long Lost' short story, writing 'Gremlins 3,' and working on Sony's animated 'Venom' movie and 'Metal Gear Solid' film.

He credits the recent box office success of original horror films with making the genre a focus in Hollywood. Lipovsky will be at the Vancouver screenings with his mother, a former TV producer who supported his filmmaking ambitions.