Post-apocalyptic action adventure Love and Monsters leaves its ending open with plenty of tantalizing possibilities for a sequel - but will it happen? Here's what we know so far about the possibility of Love and Monsters 2, when it could release, and what its story could be.
Love and Monsters stars Dylan O'Brien as Joel Dawson, one of the last surviving humans in the wake of a disaster that mutated the insects and reptiles of the planet into enormous, deadly monsters. Seven years into the apocalypse, Joel learns that his former girlfriend Aimee (Jessica Henwick) is living just 85 miles away, and decides to leave the freedom of his bunker to go and find her. Along the way he gets help from a pair of veteran surface survivors, a dog called Boy, and a damaged robot.
Love and Monsters released on VOD in the United States in October 2020, and came to Netflix internationally in April 2021. With its expansive menagerie of monsters, an overgrown post-apocalyptic world to explore, and its likeable cast of characters, Love and Monsters has plenty of room for a sequel - though there isn't one in the works just yet.
Will Love and Monsters 2 Happen?
Love and Monsters 2 isn't currently in active development, but there is interest in continuing the story from the cast and creatives. Director Michael Matthews told Decider, "There’s been some discussion about it. I’ve got a few interesting ideas. But we did focus on this just being its own movie." In order to make Love and Monsters' story as strong as possible, Matthews avoided treating it like a "franchise-starter." Asked whether or not a sequel will happen he replied, "That’s really up to the audience."
Paramount's original plan was to give Love and Monsters a wide theatrical release in February 2021, but those plans were waylaid by the coronavirus pandemic and the closure of theaters worldwide. The movie instead received a limited theatrical release in October 2020, alongside its release on Premium VOD. In its first weekend of release it took the #1 spot on FandangoNow and AppleTV, and it since also received an Oscar nomination for its visual effects. Star Dylan O'Brien previously led the Maze Runner movies to box office success, so there's certainly a commercial case to be made for green lighting Love and Monsters 2.
Love and Monsters 2 Release Date
With no official plans for Love and Monsters 2 in place yet, there's no set release date for a sequel. If it is given the green light, however, the earliest it could be expected to release is late 2022. In March 2021 O'Brien began filming on his next movie, The Outfit, which stars Mark Rylance as an English tailor who ends up making suits for a family of gangsters in Chicago. O'Brien is arguably an essential ingredient for any Love and Monsters sequel, so his future commitments to other projects could also affect the timing of its release.
Love and Monsters 2 Story Details
Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Love and Monsters.
After seven years in a bunker making minestrone soup and fiddling with the radio, Joel's odyssey across the surface world gives him the confidence to lead his fellow colonists in search of a better life. He puts out a recorded radio broadcast describing his experiences, and encouraging other human survivors to come up to the surface rather than hiding away for the rest of their lives. In the final montage, clusters of survivors take his advice and exit their bunkers to brave the outside world - monsters and all.
The ending sets up a potentially very different world in Love and Monsters 2, where the surface is not abandoned but occupied by humans trying to survive and co-exist with the monsters. Despite their terrifying appearances, not all of the monsters are dangerous predators, and humans could potentially live safely alongside at least some of them. A Love and Monsters sequel could continue Joel's journey in search of a new place for his found family to live.
Another possibility is a follow-up (whether a prequel or sequel) that focuses on the supporting characters in the movie. In an interview with Mama's Geeky, Michael Rooker expresed an interest in returning to play Clyde, the tough surface-dweller who saves Joel from a monster nest early in his journey. Clyde and his surrogate daughter, Minnow (Arianna Greenblatt) travel with Joel for a while before parting ways with him, but return at the end of the movie to confirm that they made it safely to their destination in the mountains. A follow-up could also focus on Aimee's life in the post-apocalypse - whether in the seven years before she was reunited with Joel, or after they say their goodbyes at the end of the movie.