Jessica Rothe on her five 2026 horror films and hopes for 'Happy Death Day 3'
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Jessica Rothe discussed her return to horror, with five films in 2026, and said she and director Christopher Landon have reworked a third 'Happy Death Day' film. She hopes the box office for 'River' helps revive it.
1 / 2
The story, neutrally told
Left · 2Jessica Rothe has five horror films released in theaters or premiered at festivals in 2026: Affection, Imposters, Beware Boiúna, River and Pathetic Fallacy. The Hollywood ReporterLC “2026 bears the fruit of that return, with five horror films — Affection, Imposters, Beware Boiúna, River and Pathetic Fallacy — either released in theaters or premiered at festivals.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ The A.V. ClubLC “she’s set to appear in fully five different films, between festivals and theaters, in 2026” Read at The A.V. Club ↗ Left · 1She told The Hollywood Reporter that she had wanted to explore other genres in the early 2020s but is glad to be back in horror, saying "horror fans are the best fans" and that horror is where "some of the most exciting storytelling is happening right now." The Hollywood ReporterLC “Horror is also where some of the most exciting storytelling is happening right now.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Left · 2Lionsgate's Beware Boiúna, directed by Mike P. Nelson, is in theaters. Rothe plays Alli, a med student whose humanitarian mission to the Amazon brings her group up against a mythical black serpent from Brazilian folklore, alongside Kiana Madeira. The Hollywood ReporterLC “Currently, the Colorado-born actor has Lionsgate’s Beware Boiúna in theaters.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ The A.V. ClubLC “the recently opened Beware Boiúna, where she and co-star Kiana Madeira exhibit considerable effort trying to lift the big snake movie out of the muck” Read at The A.V. Club ↗
Left · 2River, in which Rothe stars with Jane Levy, premiered at TIFF and is slated for a January theatrical release. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it sold for over $10 million despite an existing IFC/Shudder distribution deal, with Jason Blum and Universal emerging as buyers. Rothe said Blum texted her congratulations after the screening. The Hollywood ReporterLC “River, which premiered recently at TIFF and is slated for a January theatrical release.”“Jason Blum and Universal — Rothe’s Happy Death Day producer and studio — emerged as the buyers of the river-based slasher.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ The A.V. ClubLC “touching base with Jason Blum after his company picked up her horror movie River out of TIFF last month” Read at The A.V. Club ↗ Left · 2A third Happy Death Day film, also called Happy Death Day to Us, stalled after the 2019 sequel. The Hollywood Reporter describes the cause as a budgetary dispute with Blumhouse, over the sequel's 48 percent drop from the first film's $125 million worldwide gross. The A.V. Club says reported budget concerns from Blumhouse apparently ended the plans. The Hollywood ReporterLC “the project ultimately stalled over what amounted to a budgetary dispute with Blumhouse” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ The A.V. ClubLC “reported budget concerns from producer Blumhouse apparently detonated plans for third film Happy Death Day To Us” Read at The A.V. Club ↗ Left · 1Rothe said she and director Christopher Landon met in March or April to break the story for the third film around Tree's adult life, with a time jump after seven years. She said many of Landon's early ideas remain and the premise and big hook are unchanged. The Hollywood ReporterLC “Chris and I, back in March or April, actually met up, and we broke the story for the third film.”“the overall premise of it and the big hook of it are still the same” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗
Left · 2Rothe hopes River's January run will reignite talks with Blumhouse and Universal, saying it might bring "some good juju for Happy Death Day 3." The A.V. Club adds that she also named Freaky Death Day, a suggested crossover with Landon's 2020 film Freaky. The Hollywood ReporterLC “maybe that cup will runneth over and spill over into some good juju for Happy Death Day 3.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ The A.V. ClubLC “Freaky Death Day.” (The latter being the suggested crossover between Landon’s Groundhog Day riff and his Freaky-Friday-as-slasher-movie homage from 2020.)” Read at The A.V. Club ↗ Left · 2No production has been announced. Rothe said that if the stars align they could shoot soon, but "it’s not a story that’s going to time out." The Hollywood ReporterLC “Hopefully, if all the stars align, we get to shoot it in the next little bit.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ The A.V. ClubLC “There is no [mandatory] timeline in terms of when it makes sense for us to make this movie” Read at The A.V. Club ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left2 outlets
- Framing
- The Hollywood Reporter runs a long career-focused interview with commentary defending the sequel's box office; The A.V. Club summarises that interview with a wry, quippy tone and critiques Beware Boiúna.
- Emphasis
- Rothe's return to horror, River's sale, and the state of Happy Death Day 3.
- Leaves out or plays down
- The A.V. Club leaves out most of the interview's detail on the other films and on the Amazon shoot.
- Charged language
- “scream queen”“detonated plans”
- For example
-
“The scream queen unpacks her five-film horror slate” — The Hollywood Reporter
“budget concerns from producer Blumhouse apparently detonated plans for third film Happy Death Day To Us” — The A.V. Club
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Rothe has five horror films in 2026.
- Happy Death Day 3 stalled over Blumhouse budget concerns.
- Rothe and Landon met this year to rework the story.
- Rothe hopes River's run helps revive the sequel.
Jessica Rothe person
Rothe says she is glad to be back in horror and hopes River's success helps revive Happy Death Day 3. She says the story is reworked and can wait.
“My hope is that River getting a longer life — and a life in front of a larger audience — is wonderful for every single person involved” — The Hollywood Reporter
Happy Death Day 3 other
Happy Death Day 3 has no announced production. Rothe says the story was reconceived around an adult Tree, and reporting says Blumhouse budget concerns stalled it.
“The duo met up earlier this year to talk about the initial script Landon had written for the movie” — The A.V. Club
Left2 articles
-
Sympathetic Profile interview that celebrates Rothe's horror comeback and argues Happy Death Day 2U's box office was a success, not an underperformance.
-
Jessica Rothe is hoping her recent horror movie runs means good news for Happy Death Day 3
Mixed Brief, wry rewrite of the THR interview that supports hope for the sequel but is dismissive of Beware Boiúna.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 7 Oct 21:59 First The Hollywood ReporterLC ‘Beware Boiúna’ Star Jessica Rothe Talks Her Prolific Return to Horror and Retooling ‘Happy Death Day 3’
- 8 Oct 03:48 +5h 48m The A.V. ClubLC Jessica Rothe is hoping her recent horror movie runs means good news for Happy Death Day 3
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.