The demand for Trap 2 is high after viewers begin to discover M. Night Shyamalan's psychological thriller after its release on Netflix.
The movie follows the story of a serial killer known as the Butcher who attends a concert with his daughter only to find out that it is a trap set by the FBI to capture him.
Trap has a star-studded cast led by the likes of Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, and singer-songwriter Saleka Shyamalan. It was released in theaters on August 2, 2024, before premiering on Netflix on March 11.
Will Trap 2 Release? Here's What We Know
Trap's cliffhanger ending sets up a potential sequel that could explore more of the Butcher's history and possible revenge plot.
To recap, Trap ended with Cooper (aka the Butcher) being arrested by the FBI after he was betrayed by his own wife.
However, the ending revealed that Cooper was able to escape from the police van, meaning that he could continue his reign of terror (read more about what happened in Trap).
The fact that Trap ended with Cooper's escape means that there is more story to tell in this world, and it seems that director M. Night Shyamalan agrees with that sentiment.
In an interview with The Playlist in July 2024, Shyamalan shared that the audience at Trap's test screening was interested in seeing a sequel to the psychological thriller:
"We screened this for an audience and they were so excited. And at the end, in a test screening, someone asked the audience, 'How many of you wanna see a sequel of this? And every hand in the theater went up and I was hiding. And I saw it, and I was like, 'Whoa.'"
The filmmaker also expressed his love for the core characters of Trap before saying that creating the movie was a "joyful experience:"
"I finished this movie, three weeks ago, I went back to the office the next day and felt an absolute loss that I wasn’t going be with these characters again. I used to run to the editing room. I loved this movie and I wanted to be with this music and these characters and Cooper and Riley and Lady Raven, all of them. And so that was a strange feeling. They become a part of you when you’re making these characters. And, and it was such a joyful experience; we were laughing through it and, playing, and the audience can feel that. So, yeah…"
While it is rare for Shyamalan to revisit his movies and create a sequel (with one exception being Glass which continues the stories of Split and Unbreakable), the fact that the director appears to tease that he is ready to go back to Trap's world is a good sign for a potential sequel.
In a separate interview with The Playlist, Trap lead star Josh Hartnett appears to be on board with a sequel, noting that he would love to work with Shyamalan again:
"I think I would love to work with Night again. I loved the experience, and I hope we work together again on something, whether it’s a sequel to this or something else. I’ve been lucky recently to work with some of the directors that I love most in the industry. And I hope they see in me a collaborator who wants to push the envelope, try new things, and help realize a cool vision."
The actor also said that Shyamalan can create "something unexpected" if Trap 2 ends up being made:
"And, yeah, if he wanted to do another one, sure. If we had someplace to go with it… but then again, Night would come up with a really cool story, right? He would come up with something unexpected. That’s what I love about him. He’s not coming at it from the usual place. He does this consistently throughout his career, where he’ll take a genre that we think we all know, he’ll upend the genre, and come at it from a completely different perspective: a ghost story from the ghost perspective; who doesn’t know he’s a ghost, an alien invasion story where you don’t see the alien invasion, and you don’t even know if it’s really happening for most of the movie. Those things are amazing, and this one is like a contained thriller, nineties style in a way that is, is told from the antagonist's point of view."
What To Expect in Trap 2's Story
Trap's ending opens a lot of storytelling opportunities for Cooper, Riley (played by breakout star Riley Donoghue), and even Lady Raven.
Cooper's escape in the end indicates that he will be on the run if Trap 2 ever gets made, considering that his capture was covered by media across the country.
Still, the movie proved that Cooper has what it takes to get out of messy situations and he knows counter-surveillance so well to the point that he can evade highly-trained operatives.
There are many ways in which director M. Night Shyamalan could approach Trap 2's story.
The sequel could begin right after Trap's ending, with the first half showing Cooper's escape from the FBI and how he goes into hiding.
The second half of Trap 2 could then revolve around the FBI's continued pursuit of Cooper while a possible time jump could happen.
The first movie established that the concert itself was the trap set for Cooper.
Trap 2 could raise the stakes for the serial killer even more since it is shaping up that the whole country is the trap for Cooper this time around, mainly because everyone knows he is the Butcher after all.
Trap is now streaming on Netflix in the United States.
