‘1408’ Sequel Is Happening With Sam Jackson, John Cusack, Elijah Wood and Natalia Dyer

Here's one I didn't see coming.

Variety reports that a sequel to "1408," the 2007 Stephen King adaptation, is in the works, with Natalia Dyer leading and Elijah Wood in a supporting role. John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson are negotiating to come back as well. Mikael Håfström returns to direct, working from a script he co-wrote with Mark Verheiden.

My first question is simple: why? "1408,” a self-contained, one-room nightmare, was basically Cusack slowly coming apart in a haunted hotel room for 90 minutes. It made $132M worldwide on a $25M budget, and I guess must have earned a decent following on streaming for a sequel to now be happening.

That being said, the whole point of the story is that the room is the story. What's left to say? Another guest checks in and loses their mind? We've seen that movie already, but don’t let Hollywood stop itself from milking this IP further.

To be fair, Cusack has been open about this being the one sequel he'd ever do. Last year he told People he'd never had the urge to make sequels, but "1408" interested him, partly because, in his words, "most movies suck." Okay. Honestly, I'd assumed Cusack had quietly retired. He's mostly vanished from the spotlight in recent years.

Dyer is a nice addition though, and Wood has quietly become one of the more interesting genre regulars working today. Håfström coming back to his biggest film — it’s either this or “Escape Plan” — was probably not a hard sell (have you seen his filmography?)

Cameras are expected to roll in early 2027 on the sequel. What will it be called? "1409"? "1408: Part II"? "1408: Checkout"? "Return to 1408"? Stuff to ponder.