Longlegs 2 Return Gets Intriguing Response From OG Thriller Star

EXCLUSIVE: The story may not be done for one key character in the Longlegs universe.

Written and directed by Oz Perkins, the 2024 thriller focused on FBI agent Lee Harker as she becomes embroiled in the investigation into the eponymous serial killer, who leaves Satanic notes behind at his various murders, taking her down a dark rabbit hole. Led by Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage and Blair Underwood, Longlegs became a critical and commercial smash upon its release, setting a record for Perkins' highest-grossing film of all-time, leading to Paramount acquiring the rights for a follow-up.

Now, in an interview with ScreenRant's Liam Crowley for her new horror-thriller Victorian Psycho, Maika Monroe was asked about the chances of returning as Harker for Longlegs 2. The star of the original thriller indicated that "Lee Harker will not be in this one," though also offered an intriguing response as she trailed off partway through saying, "I'll just..." She would then conclude by stating "she's not" in the follow-up, but that she "would love to revisit that role."

Confirmation of the Longlegs sequel came with the news that Perkins would return to write and direct it, marking his first-ever sequel behind the camera, while Cage is also confirmed to be reprising his titular role. Paramount also seemed keen to move swiftly ahead with the thriller follow-up, having already set it for a January 14, 2028 release date, with plot details remaining under wraps on the project.

Image via Neon

Recent reports have swirled that the Longlegs follow-up is moving swiftly in development, even indicating that production is expected to return to Vancouver, Canada sometime in January, and had even been given a temporary title of Hexagram. However, there are still no indications about what kind of franchise expansion the new film will be, with Cage's return leading to speculation of a prequel, given his character's death in the original.

It's certainly not out of the realm of possibility for the new Longlegs movie to be a proper sequel while still having Cage back in a major role. There are still a wide variety of questions left unanswered regarding both Cage's killer character and Monroe's Harker from the original film, particularly the former's actual origins of his Satanic killings and how he is able to pull off the familicide rituals beyond the use of the dolls he creates and sends to his victims' houses through Alicia Witt's Ruth.

Moreover, while she did ultimately survive the events of the first film, the exact status of Harker in Longlegs' ending is left unknown. Failing to destroy the doll delivered to the daughter of her boss, Blair Underwood's Agent Carter, Monroe's protagonist is shown seemingly being entranced by the figure in the same way many of Longlegs' other victims have, potentially alluding to her also being under his manipulation.

Even though she seems to indicate she won't return for Longlegs 2, Monroe does have another highly-anticipated sequel on the horizon with They Follow, the long-awaited follow-up to her breakout hit It Follows. Filming wrapped on the horror film this past September, and given its predecessor hit theaters just over a year after it also concluded its production, she and Perkins could have a chilling double feature in store for audiences in early 2028.

Longlegs is a horror thriller film by writer-director Osgood Perkins. When FBI agent Lee Harker is assigned to a serial killer cold case, their investigation leads them down a rabbit hole riddled with disturbing discoveries and the occult at the center of it all. When the trail of evidence reveals a personal connection, it becomes a race against time to prevent another murder.