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It’s hard to say whether filmmaker Damien Leone could have ever known how big of a success his murderous character Art the Clown would become when he first created him for a short titled The 9th Circle nearly two decades ago. Now, another short and three feature-length productions later, Art the Clown and the Terrifier film series are both household names. Currently playing in theaters, Terrifier 3 is demolishing box office records, staving off tough competition, and even making Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux look like, well, a clown.
Recently, Collider’s Nate Richard sat down with Leone to chat with him about all-things the Terrifier franchise and Art’s latest big success. On Richards’ mind was what is also on the minds of so many others — how many more installments can we expect? For now, Leone thinks he has it set, revealing, “I can’t see it being more than two.” Still, the director is the first to point out that there’s always a chance for more — or less — to happen. He explained:
“Every time I open my mouth, something comes out. It’s like 'There’s going to be two more movies! There’s going to be one more! Terrifier 4 is confirmed!' So I try and be very careful because until it’s set in stone, and it’s edited and ripped from my hands, and it’s up on the screen, anything’s possible.”
Clarifying why things often shift at the last minute, Leone continued:
“Because many times I know where I’m going. But, you know, it’ll be a year later by the time I get there, and all of a sudden I’ll have inspiration hit me. I’ll be like, ‘No, no, no, no. This is the right direction to go in’ or ‘It could be a dream or a nightmare.’ And I’m like, oh, it changes everything. So I always have a plan. But that doesn’t mean that plan is set in stone until it’s up on the screen.”
Damien Leone Knows Exactly How Sienna and Art Will Part Ways
The Terrifier universe isn’t a safe place for anyone, but it seems that time and time again Lauren LaVera’s Sienna Shaw can somehow avert death’s icy grip. So, it shouldn’t surprise fans to learn that Leone has a soft spot in his heart for the final girl and that her fate has already been planned out — just like Art’s.
“ This is just as much her franchise as it is Art the Clown . She’s my favorite character. I have a really soft spot for Sienna. Very personal character. I draw from a lot of personal people in my life. I adore that character. When I wrote part two, as I was writing it, I knew where I was going to end the entire saga between Art and Sienna. So I know where it ends. It’s just a matter of how many movies is it going to take me to get there.”
Terrifier 3 is now playing in theaters. You can read Richards' full interview with Leone below.
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Terrifier 3
Terrifier 3 follows survivors Sienna and her brother as they attempt to recover from their traumatic encounter with the sinister Art the Clown. As the holiday season arrives, their efforts to find peace are shattered when Art returns, intent on turning their Christmas into a new nightmare.
Release Date October 11, 2024
Director Damien Leone
Runtime 125 Minutes
Writers Damien Leone
Studio(s) Dark Age Cinema , Fuzz on the Lens Productions
Distributor(s) Cineverse
prequel(s) Terrifier , Terrifier 2
Franchise(s) Terrifier
Character(s) Sienna , Art the Clown , Gabbie , Jonathan , Victoria Heyes , Jessica , Greg , Mia , Cole , Jennifer , Juliet , Smokey , Eddie , Santa / Charlie , Burke , Bystander , Michael , Mark , Brooke , Timmy , Dispatch , Officer Evans , Bag Lady , Dean , Cosplayer , Receptionist , Dennis