‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ First Look Stuns CinemaCon Into Silence

Paramount may be taking viewers back to “A Quiet Place,” but they debuted their first look for the upcoming movie in the noisy Caesar’s Palace. The studio unveiled a first look at the horror film “A Quiet Place: Day One” on Thursday, out of their presentation during the CinemaCon industry event.

Beyond that though, the new film is set in, as producer John Krasinski said on stage at Caesar’s Palace, “the loudest city in the world,” New York City. The first trailer for the movie, which Krasinski also said just wrapped production within the last two weeks, shows hundreds of meteorites raining down on the city, severing the back of a bus that star Lupita Nyong’o is riding in. She scrambles under a car for safety, only for a man to grab her leg from underneath screaming for help. It doesn’t end well for that guy.

A prequel to Paramount’s “A Quiet Place” franchise, not much more is known about the plot of “Day One,” but Nyong’o leads the cast, returning to the horror genre after her acclaimed turn in 2019’s “Us.” Other cast members include “Hereditary” star Alex Wolff, “Stranger Things” Season 4 breakout Joseph Quinn, and Djimon Hounsou, reprising his role from the second “A Quiet Place” movie. The film began production in February, and just wrapped earlier this month.

Released in 2018 and 2021, the first two “A Quiet Place” films were directed by John Krasinski, who also stars in the films with his wife, Emily Blunt. The two play a mother and father forced to protect their family after alien monsters invade Earth, destroying civilization. Although the monsters are blind, their powerful hearing sense makes them a dangerous threat, and forces those who survived the initial invasion to avoid making noise in order to remain undetected. Noah Jupe, Millicent Simmonds, and Cillian Murphy also star in the main film series.

Both movies were well-received by critics, and proved extremely successful at the box office. The first film grossed $340 million worldwide on a $17 million budget, and the second — one of the first major theatrical releases following the COVID-19 pandemic — managed $297 million on a $60 million budget.

For the prequel, Michael Sarnoski will replace Krasinski in the director’s chair. Originally, “Take Shelter” director Jeff Nichols was tapped for the project, but departed due to creative differences. The film will be Sarnoski’s first for a major studio, and his second overall after he made his feature debut in 2021 with the acclaimed Nicolas Cage indie drama “Pig.” He also rewrote the script, credited to him and Nichols. Krasinski produces the film via his Sunday Night banner, and Michael Bay, Andrew Form, and Brad Fuller produce via Platinum Dunes Alyson Seeger executive produces.

“A Quiet Place: Day One’s” day one in theaters is March 8, 2024. A third film in the main “Quiet Place” series, again directed by Krasinski, is scheduled to be released in 2025.

Additional reporting by Brian Welk.