(Image: A24)
After its theatrical debut, "The Backrooms," adapted from the viral internet phenomenon of the same name, stormed the global box office with a massive $118 million opening weekend. With a production budget of only around $10 million, such a high return on investment makes a follow-up seem inevitable.
Kane Parsons (pictured below), who directed the original short film series before helming the feature film, confirmed this in an interview with Polygon. "A sequel isn't just an option—it's been part of the plan since 2022," he stated. "I had taken the YouTube short film format as far as I could, so a feature film became the next step, though I thought it would take much longer to get to this point. This movie is just the first step in my plan to gradually unfold the concept of 'The Backrooms' through several narrative stages. The full scope can't be captured in a single film."
(Image: Pinterest)
However, Parsons revealed that he would prefer to develop "The Backrooms" as a series rather than a direct film sequel. "Personally, my ideal plan is to make a series. It's the best narrative medium to truly realize what I want to create," he explained. "But obviously, a series is a huge undertaking, so it won't happen quickly—it's not something you can just snap your fingers and make. Broadly speaking, I envision a series that isn't confined by its genre label. It would focus more on the stories of interpersonal relationships, built upon a supernatural techno-thriller plot. That's the creative space where I feel most comfortable."
(Image: Los Angeles Times)
Parsons also shared that he already has an endgame in mind for "The Backrooms" universe. "I like to start conceptualizing a story from its ending, so I know which direction I'm heading. I don't want to be involved in a project that's being figured out as it goes, without a clear storyline to follow," he said. "I feel like a lot of shows I grew up with had terrible final seasons. The creative teams would claim they had the ending planned all along, but it usually felt like a PR line, and the plot would ultimately fall apart. I don't want to name any specific shows, but it seems to be a common phenomenon. That's why I've been very focused from the beginning on ensuring the project has a coherent and consistent throughline."
Additionally, Parsons mentioned that even though "The Backrooms" has made it to the big screen, he still intends to continue releasing new installments of the short film series on YouTube. He admitted that he hasn't had detailed discussions with A24 about the scope of future YouTube content but believes the studio is generally very supportive of any creative plans he has for the property.
via： Polygon