• Lionsgate and MRC Announce Sequel Blackeninga horror-comedy that has been praised for subverting genre stereotypes and exploring the characters’ relationships with their blackness.
  • Blackening received positive reviews from critics and audiences, scoring an 87% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and performing well at the box office, earning $18 million against a $5 million budget.
  • The original film was written by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins, both of whom are confirmed to return for the sequel. The cast’s return has not yet been announced.

Lionsgate and MRC have just announced that a sequel to the horror comedy will be released. Blackening is in development, as first reported by Variety. The news comes about five months after the film had its wide theatrical premiere in June. It originally debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2022.

Based on a Comedy Central parody. Blackening follows a group of friends who reunite to spend the weekend of June 19th together. Where better to celebrate a holiday than in a remote house in the forest? However, their vacation quickly turns into a nightmare when a mysterious serial killer forces them to play a board game called Blackened. So the race begins to stop the game (whose current dilemma is to sacrifice the blackest of them all) and the killer before the casualties begin.

Blackening was written Tracy Oliver (Girls’ trip, Harlem) and star Dewayne Perkins (Upshaw, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), who plays Dewayne in this film. It was directed by Tim Story (Think like a person). As of this writing, Oliver and Perkins are confirmed to be returning for the sequel, along with producing. E. Brian Dobbins. Blackening also stars Jermaine Fowler, Grace Byers, Antoinette Robinson, Yvonne Orji, Melvin Gregg, X Mayo, Walls of SinquaAnd Jay Pharoah. There is no word yet on who will be returning for the sequel.

“Blackening” was a resounding success

Since its release, Blackening has proven itself to be a worthy addition to the horror genre, striking the right chords with both critics and the general public. It currently has a critic rating of 87% and an audience rating of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. Without looking at the numbers Blackening was praised for subverting genre stereotypes while still drawing on its genre while also offering a deeper exploration of its characters and their relationships with their blackness. The film also performed well at the box office, earning approximately $18 million at the worldwide box office against a total budget of $5 million.

About the film Blackening the team previously spoke to Collider’s Steve Weintraub about creating a unique story, and Perkins said: “Being able to take these images and find exactly what makes them complex, what gives them depth, and then apply that to the film so that when you start watching it, you see what was in horror films before and after, the goal of the film is to continually subvert your expectations of these characters while continually adding depth.” In addition, Mayo noted the importance of projects such as Blackening and Oliver Girls’ tripamong other things, placing Black creatives in leadership positions.

blackened poster

Blackening

Date of issue
June 16, 2023

Director
Tim Story

Throw
Sinqua Walls, Grace Byers, Dwayne Perkins, Antoinette Robinson

lead time
96 minutes

Main genre
Comedy

Genres
comedy, horror, thriller

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