'Insidious 5' Will Bring Back Patrick Wilson, Who Will Make His Directorial Debut
Ready to go back to The Further...again? Today at BlumFest, a virtual festival devoted to all-things-Blumhouse, word broke that Insidious 5 is a go. And not only that, but some familiar faces are returning. Patrick Wilson and Ty Simpkins, who played father and son in the series, are both back – and Wilson will be making his feature directorial debut on the film. Curiously absent from the announcement: Rose Byrne, who plays Wilson's wife in the franchise.
The Lamberts are back! Well, some of them. Today it was revealed that Insidious 5 would be bringing back the Lambert Family, the characters at the center of the first two films. Patrick Wilson is back as Josh Lambert and Ty Simpkins will return as Dalton Lambert. The film, per Deadline, "will pick up with the Lamberts 10 years after the last installment, as Dalton (Simpkins) begins college." And now I have questions! Namely: where is Rose Byrne? There are other Lambert family members, too – Dalton's brother Foster and his sister Cali. And while I'm okay with neither of those characters returning, if need be, having Rose Byrne not be a part of the team feels very weird. Maybe they just haven't closed a deal with the actress yet. Or maybe she has no more interest in the franchise. Hopefully, we'll learn more soon.
In the meantime, we know that Insidious 5 will have Wilson behind the camera as well as in front of it. The actor will make his feature debut directing the pic. The first two movies were directed by James Wan while Insidious: Chapter 3 was directed by Leigh Whannell, who also wrote the first three films. Whannell also wrote the fourth film, Insidious: The Last Key, directed by Adam Robitel. For Insidious 5, Whannell is getting a story credit while Scott Teems is tackling the script.
In the first Insidious, the Lamberts move into a new home and begin to suspect it's haunted. Those suspicions deepen when their son Dalton falls into a coma that no one can explain. Desperate, the family packs up and moves – only for the ghosts to follow. Because, as a psychic played by Lin Shaye tells the family: "It's not the house that's haunted – it's your son." Cue the spooky music!
"I'm honored and thrilled to be at the helm of the next Insidious installment, which will provide an amazing chance to unpack everything the Lamberts went through a decade ago, as well as deal with the consequences of their choices," said Wilson. "Directing the movie is both professionally and personally a full-circle moment for me, and I am extremely grateful to be entrusted in continuing to tell this frightening and haunting story. Into the further we go."
Producer Jason Blum added: "One of the primary reasons the interest and appetite from fans has lasted for Insidious is because the people involved in the first film have stayed involved and kept it vital, interesting and good. I'm so grateful to our collaborators on the franchise."
All in all, I'm excited about this. I love the first Insidious, and Insidious Chapter 3 is damn good, too (Insidious: Chapter 2 is kind of a mess, and I didn't like The Last Key at all, sorry). All that said, I have to keep hammering home the fact that I'd feel a lot better if Rose Byrne was coming back as well. Make it happen, Blumhouse!