Summary
- R.L. Stine is confident that there will be more Fear Street movies following the success of the trilogy on Netflix.
- Stine expressed his surprise at the longevity of his Goosebumps books and is excited about the new TV show on Disney+.
- While not confirmed, reports suggest that a potential Fear Street 4 is in development, with a praised director attached.
As the Halloween season returns, R.L. Stine offers a confident update on Fear Street 4. The iconic author's teenage horror books made their way to the screen with a trilogy of movies in 2021, originally set for a theatrical release through 20th Century Fox before being acquired by Netflix. Released across three back-to-back weeks, the Fear Street movies scored rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, with the latter since holding out hope for more to be produced following a mid-credits tease in the final chapter.
While speaking with Rolling Stone to discuss the release of the new Goosebumps show on Disney+, Stine reflected on the success of his 40-plus-year writing career. In discussing his work on the various franchises, the author expressed his happiness to see various adaptations of his novels continue on the screen, and offered a confident update on a potential Fear Street 4, believing more than one follow-up will be produced to the Netflix trilogy. Check out Stine's comments below:
I’ve done everything you can think of, and it’s all so far beyond what I ever dreamed. When we started out I said, ‘Let’s do two or three [Goosebumps books].’ I never dreamed that it would last this long. It’s all a big surprise to me. I’m excited to have a new TV show going [on Disney+] and we’ll probably do more Fear Street movies too, and you know, that’s a thrill for me.
What We Know About Fear Street's Future
This isn't the first time Stine has indicated the likelihood of more Fear Street movies being produced after the success of the original trilogy, having confirmed in mid-2022 that he had heard "rumors" of development being made on a new adaptation. At the same time, the author had confirmed there being interest at Sony Pictures to produce further Goosebumps movies after the Jack Black-starring big screen efforts, though said plans are currently unknown as the property is now enjoying critical success on Disney+ and Hulu.
More recently, reports swirled in December 2022 that Chloe Okuno had been attached to direct a potential Fear Street 4 with trilogy producers Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and David Ready all set to return to their respective roles, though no official announcement has been made by Netflix or anyone involved. Okuno's reported hiring was met with much enthusiasm from horror genre fans, with the filmmaker fresh off her feature directorial debut Watcher led by It Follows' Maika Monroe, which garnered widespread critical acclaim.
While Stine's comments may not be a direct confirmation of a Fear Street 4 moving forward, his confidence in both it and future sequels to the trilogy seems like a further good sign for the franchise's future. Netflix has never properly released viewership numbers for the first three movies, as is the case with most streaming platforms, but it was generally agreed by the streamer and producers that they were hits, with their consistent critical acclaim further cementing this. With Goosebumps only having just premiered on Disney+ and Hulu at the time of writing, it will be interesting to see if a successful opening weekend leads to the studios properly moving ahead with another installment.
Source: Rolling Stone