Parker Finn Is Handing Off ‘Smile 3’ for a Very Different Kind of Horror

Few modern horror franchises have moved as fast as ‘Smile.’ What started as a viral-marketing-friendly nightmare about a grinning curse turned into a legitimate studio property, and Paramount has been eager to keep the machine running.

That momentum has made the question of who sits in the director’s chair for the next chapter more interesting than usual. Franchise creator Parker Finn has plenty on his plate, and his next big swing is nothing like a standard sequel.

Now, Variety is reporting in an exclusive that David Bruckner has been set to direct ‘Smile 3,’ while Finn moves over to helm his ‘Possession’ remake. It’s a notable handoff for a series that has been defined by its creator’s voice from the very first frame.

Bruckner arrives with real genre credentials. He previously directed ‘The Night House,’ ‘Hellraiser’ and ‘V/H/S,’ a résumé that suggests he knows how to build dread without leaning on cheap tricks. Notably, entertainment outlets had already reported, citing insider Daniel Richtman, that Bruckner would take over from Finn on the sequel at Paramount, so Variety’s exclusive appears to lock in what had been circulating as a rumor.

The numbers help explain why Paramount wants the franchise to keep moving. ‘Smile 2’ proved to be a commercial success, generating around $140 million worldwide from a $30 million budget. That sequel, starring Naomi Scott as a tormented pop star, hit theaters worldwide on Oct. 18, 2024, almost 2 years after the original became a massive blockbuster.

Finn, meanwhile, has been juggling a far stranger project. His ‘Possession’ remake is set up at Paramount, which is also home to the ‘Smile’ movies, with Robert Pattinson producing through his company Icki Eneo Arlo. It is an audacious choice, since Andrzej Żuławski’s 1981 original is so unusual that it almost defies categorization.

The remake was far from a quiet deal. Paramount won out in the bidding war, beating A24, Netflix, Warner Bros. and Sony for the rights to the project, which Finn is writing and directing. The original follows Mark and his wife Anna, as the former asks the latter for a divorce and suspects she is having an affair.

The casting is equally intriguing. Foreign media outlet Nexus Point News reported that Callum Turner and Margaret Qualley were in negotiations to star, while Pattinson would remain solely behind the scenes. That is a heavyweight pairing for a film built on one of horror’s most unhinged source materials.

For Finn, stepping away from directing ‘Smile 3’ makes practical sense. A remake of a cult touchstone demands full attention, and he has promised to retain the ‘frenzied, manic ferocity’ of the original film. Trying to carry that and a franchise sequel at the same time would be a heavy lift.

What remains unclear is how much of Finn’s fingerprints will stay on the next ‘Smile.’ Variety’s report frames him as the franchise creator stepping aside from the director’s seat, but it does not suggest the series is leaving his orbit entirely. Whether he stays involved as a producer or writer is the kind of detail fans will be watching for.

There is also the matter of how the series reinvents itself a third time. Critics have noted that after 2 films, the general premise of a demon possessing its victim and making them see things that aren’t there can feel a little played out. A fresh director with a knack for atmospheric, character-driven horror could be exactly the shake-up the grinning curse needs.

No release date has been announced for ‘Smile 3,’ and plot details are still under wraps. For now, the headline is clear: the franchise that made Finn a genre name is getting a new set of eyes, while he heads somewhere far darker and far weirder.