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Summary
The 2019 comedy filmIsn’t It Romanticis getting a surprise sequel in a new genre with the announcement of the horror-themed follow-up,Isn’t It Scary. The original film, starring Rebel Wilson, follows a disenchanted young woman ready to give up on romance while pursuing her career. However, she suddenly finds herself in a romantic comedy and must navigate the various genre tropes while assuming the role of the story’s romantic lead. Besides poking fun at the abundant cliches of romantic movies in general, the film had an interesting meta-narrative that went beyond the usual fluff of romance.
Unfortunately,Isn’t It Romanticwas a box-office flop that only managed to gross $48 million against a reported production budget of $30 million (viaBox Office Mojo), meaning the film lost quite a bit of money when factoring in advertising costs. Critics were only lukewarm toward the movie, and though the skewering ofromance film genre tropeswas interesting, it ultimately had very little to say. Shockingly, the somewhat forgotten movie is getting a sequel, but this time,Isn’t It Scarywill take on the tropes of the horror genre.
Isn’t It Scary Is Confirmed
The 2019 Flop Is Getting A Sequel
The project is currently in very early development, and like many Hollywood works, it could never see the light of day if delays hinder it.
Over five years afterIsn’t It Romanticcame and went with little fanfare,New Line Cinema has announced a sequel entitledIsn’t It Scary. Though much of the project is unknown, New Line is perhaps the best production company to handle the horror movie parody since their history includes blockbusters likeA Nightmare on Elm StreetandThe Conjuring.No cast details are known and no director is currently attached to the project, and it’s unlikely that original star Rebel Wilson will return to lead the sequel.
The project is currently in very early development, and like many Hollywood works, it could never see the light of day if delays hinder it. With only a screenwriter attached at this time,the project will likely hinge on the success of the script, and there’s no telling exactly when the unexpected sequel could actually materialize. However, New Line’s announcement ofIsn’t It Scaryshows the company is confident that the project will eventually get off the ground.
Isn’t It Romantic: 5 Reasons It Subverts The Genre (5 It’s Just Another Rom-Com)
Although Isn’t It Romantic wants to be different from other rom-coms, the truth is, it feels like yet another entry in an already crowded subgenre.
Who Is Making Isn’t It Scary?
New Line Cinema Is Known As “The House That Freddy Built”
Though the company was founded more than 50 years ago, New Line Cinema came into prominence in the 1980s with the release of 1984’s slasher classic,A Nightmare on Elm Street,and its sequels. This earned the studio the moniker “The House That Freddy Built” and that reputation as a house of horrors has stuck even after New Line branched out into conventional blockbusters like Peter Jackson’sLord of the Ringsseries.This experience with horror makes New Line the perfect home forIsn’t It Scary, especially with more than a few interesting properties to work with.
New Line Cinema hasn’t assigned a director or cast members yet, butIsn’t It Scarywill be written by April Prosser. Prosser penned the script for the romantic comedyLook Both Waysstarring Lili Reinhart in 2022, and the bulk of her credits are in the romance/comedy genres. This suggests thatIsn’t It Scarywill be more funny than frightening, though plans could always change. Being a sequel toIsn’t It Romantic, it’s somewhat unlikely thatIsn’t It Scarywill go full horror.
Look Both Waysis available to stream on Netflix
Isn’t It Scary Story Details
An Unwitting Character Is Stuck In A Horror Movie
Whileplot details aboutIsn’t It Scaryhaven’t been revealed yet, it can be assumed that it will follow the structure ofIsn’t It Romanticand cast an unsuspecting character as the lead in a horror movie. The film will likely follow someone who, through an unfortunate accident, wakes up one day to find themselves cast as the “Final Girl” in a cliche-ridden horror story. Since the slasher genre is often the most parodied of all horror subjects, it’s likely thatIsn’t It Scarywill want to blow holes in the popular and cheap-to-produce sub-genre.
Isn’t It Romantic
Cast
For a long time, Natalie, an Australian architect living in New York City, had always believed that what she had seen in rom-coms is all fantasy. But after thwarting a mugger at a subway station only to be knocked out while fleeing, Natalie wakes up and discovers that she is self-aware of her existence in a “PG-13 Universe” and must escape every cliché in order to finally fall in love and achieve the happily ever after that will bring her back to reality.
