STARRY EYES Directors Will Rewrite And Direct MAMA 2

Andres Muschetti's Mama was an effective spook story that sort of fell apart once the third act got going, but for many people - myself included - the first two-thirds of the movie were strong enough to overlook the CGI extravaganza that closed out the film. It was not, however, strong enough to get me excited about the idea of a Mama 2.

Then, last night, this happened:

Universal Pictures has hired Starry Eyes filmmakers Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch to rewrite and direct Mama 2, for which Jessica Chastain is not expected to return, an agency insider has told TheWrap.

Suddenly I am way more interested in seeing a sequel to Mama. 

Starry Eyes was very well-received upon release (here and elsewhere!), though as 2014 went on it seemed like the film got run over by all the hype that accompanied The Babadook and It Follows. Both of those films are great, to be sure, but from where I'm standing, Starry Eyes deserved to stand alongside them. If you haven't already, you should absolutely check the film out via Netflix.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to more from Widmyer and Kolsch. Their next film is Exorcism Diaries, based on the "true story" that inspired The Exorcist (and not to be confused with Scott McCullough's 2013 indie The Exorcism Diaries), and they've also filmed a segment for Blumhouse's upcoming anthology film, Holidays. 

Stay tuned, folks. We'll keep you updated on all of these projects as developments occur.