Opening in theaters on March 20th is ‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come‘, which is a sequel to 2019’s ‘Ready or Not’ and was once again directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (‘Abigail’), who are also known as Radio Silence.
9ex41i6jFFWasC73zhYRQ7Samara Weaving (‘Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins’) returns to her role as Grace MacCaullay and is joined by new cast members Kathryn Newton (‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’), Sarah Michelle Gellar (‘The Grudge’), Shawn Hatosy (‘The Pitt’), Elijah Wood (‘The Monkey’), Nestor Carbonell (‘The Dark Knight’), and David Cronenberg (‘The Fly’).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Elijah Wood about their work on ‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’, Weaving’s return to her character, what it was like for the other actors to join the franchise, the new characters, working with the directors, and what fans of the first movie can expect from the sequel.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Weaving, Newton, Gellar, and Wood, as well as directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.
Related Article: Sarah Michelle Gellar and Elijah Wood Board ‘Ready or Not: Here I Come’
Moviefone: To begin with, Sarah Michelle, what would you say to fans sitting down right now in a movie theater to watch this sequel to prepare them for the theatrical experience they are about to have?
Sarah Michelle Gellar: I think that if you love the first one, you’re guaranteed to love the second. But I think the most important thing is to consider that, as popular as the first movie was, they did not rush out a sequel. Radio Silence waited until they knew they had the story and the cast. They really did it right. I think what we do in this one is we really honor the legacy of the first one and just continue that. I would say unhinged is a good word. There’s no setup in this one. You are in it.
MF: Elijah, what would you say to get people excited for this sequel?
Elijah Wood: I mean, get ready for a ride. Like the first film, when that game of Hide and Seek begins, it’s a ride until the end of the film and this movie is no different. The stakes are bigger. It does not let up once it starts. The thing is, it literally starts seconds after the first movie ends. You’re kind of off to the races very quickly.
MF: Samara, is there anything you would like to add to that?
Samara Weaving: Just buckle up. Get ready. It’s going to get weird.
MF: Kathryn, what would you say to prepare fans of the original for this sequel?
Kathryn Newton: I would say have fun and scream. It would be so cool if people walked out of this and saw it again and had something to say every time there was a kill, like a ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ situation. Can we come up with some kind of drinking game or something?
MF: Samara, what was it like for you to return to this franchise and play this character again?
SW: It was a dream. I really didn’t think that I would be able to after the first one because it was such a weird movie and we didn’t know if people would like it or not, because we had such a great time making it. So, the fact that I got to do it again was just the best.
MF: What was it like having Kathryn as a partner this time around?
SW: Oh, so annoying. No, it was so great, because I would get a bit bored on the first one because it would just be me running around like a lunatic. So, it was great, I had a friend on set with this one.
MF: Kathryn, were you a fan of the first film and what has it been like for you to join this series?
KN: I was. I was really honored to be a part of it, and wanted to make the growing fan base, the cult fan base even happier, and hopefully they love it. Just to work with Matt and Tyler again was a dream. They’re the best.
MF: Sarah Michelle, were you a fan of the first movie and what was it like for you to join the series and take on this role?
SMG: I had seen the original. I was a big fan. I got a call one day, and they said, “Have you ever seen ‘Ready or Not’?” I said, “Yeah, of course.” They said, “Well, they’re making a sequel.” I first thought, “Really? It’s been five or six years, and they usually rush them out.” I read it, and I absolutely loved it. Just from reading it on the page, you see it. I said, “I want to meet the boys immediately.” I met the guys on a Zoom the next day, and I think I said yes about a minute into the meeting. I think that’s about how long it took.
MF: Elijah, your character is very mysterious, and we don’t learn a lot about him during the movie. Did you create a backstory for yourself to understand where he comes from and his role in this world?
EW: No, but I certainly thought about it. Matt, Tyler, and I would talk about who this guy is, and where he’s come from. Is he immortal? Has he been around for centuries? Has he been doing this for a long time? Things like that that certainly kind of were in the fabric of what I was thinking for the character. Then my task was to deliver those rules in as interesting a way as I could.
MF: Kathryn, how would you describe the sibling relationship between Grace and Faith and where it stands when the movie starts?
KN: They’re on the rocks. They’ve got things to talk about and they’re not talking, they’re running. There’s no time to be talking. I keep trying to talk and it’s just causing issues. She’s like, “Stop it,” and I’m like, “No.” It’s a little bit of that. There’s a bit of drama, some life and death situations, and we still talk about boys.
MF: Elijah, can you talk about collaborating with directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett on set?
EW: I mean, these guys are so lovely. They are such film fans, such fans of the creation of cinema, and have such enthusiasm that really extends to everybody on set, the cast included, and it is sort of an infectious feeling of we’re all in this thing creating together. It’s very collaborative. I love those guys. They’re lovely and it makes it fun. Listen, they’re very articulate as well, and very clear about what it is that they want. They barely looked stressed.
MF: Sarah Michelle, what was your experience like working with Matt and Tyler?
SMG: They treated everyone with the same dignity from number one on the call sheet to every PA that was on the show. I think that it just makes for a really great experience. I mean, I don’t know how to describe it any better than that. There’s no guessing with them. They can always tell you what they want. You don’t have to drag it out of them. But more than anything, I would say that this was a hard shoot. We had very few days. It was a lot of nights. The weather was not cooperative. They never raised their voice, not once in the entire shoot, and that says a lot. Occasionally, at the end of the night, you could see them pacing, trying to figure out what shots they had to cut, but it was more their creative thought process.
MF: Samara, what was it like for you to work with Matt and Tyler again?
SM: They’re the greatest. They’ve become close friends of mine, so it was just any excuse to hang out with them. I’d take a bullet for them. They’re the best.
MF: Finally, Kathryn, you worked with Matt and Tyler on ‘Abigail’, but what do you love about working with them as filmmakers?
KN: I think Matt and Tyler are the best audience. They love what they do, and I think they don’t ask much of you. Then when you give them something, they really see it and they really elevate it. I felt like on this movie, they really protected my performance because I did a lot of weird things that I didn’t know would work. Then the other thing they do, Matt specifically, I think because it was the second movie together, he knew things I was capable of that I didn’t. It was important to get the horror and the stakes of the movie. He had to make sure I was doing enough. He had to make sure I was being scared enough, or whatever it called for. So, he elevated my performance, and then they kept it together in the edit.
What is the plot of ‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’?
Grace MacCaullay (Samara Weaving), the sole survivor of a brutal “game” that resulted in the deaths of her husband and in-laws, learns that her victory comes with a price. Now, the wealthiest and most influential families on Earth must kill her in a new game – or risk losing their power and fortunes. Grace refuses to participate at first but is left with no choice when she learns that her younger sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton), has also been marked for death and must protect her at all costs.
Who is in the cast of ‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’?
- Samara Weaving as Grace MacCaullay
- Kathryn Newton as Faith MacCaullay
- Sarah Michelle Gellar as Ursula Danforth
- Shawn Hatosy as Titus Danforth
- David Cronenberg as Chester Danforth
- Elijah Wood as The Lawyer
- Néstor Carbonell as Ignacio El Caido
- Kevin Durand as Bill Wilkinson
- Olivia Cheng as Wan Chen Xing
- Varun Saranga as Madhu Rajan
- Nadeem Umar-Khitab as Viraj Rajan
- Juan Pablo Romero as Felipe El Caido
- Masa Lizdek as Martina Rajan
- Maia Jae as Francesca El Caido
- Daniel Beirne as Kip Danforth
- Antony Hall as Wan Cheng Fu
List of Movies Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett:
- ‘V/H/S‘ (2012)
- ‘Devil’s Due‘ (2014)
- ‘Southbound‘ (2016)
- ‘Ready or Not‘ (2019)
- ‘Scream‘ (2022)
- ‘Scream VI‘ (2023)
- ‘Abigail‘ (2024)
- ‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come‘ (2026)
