A Quiet Place: Day One - Release Date, Cast, Director And More Info

In the annals of famous movie monsters, it's arguable that the creatures from 2018's "A Quiet Place" rank fairly low. After all, following the release of the first film and 2021's "A Quiet Place Part II," we still don't have an official name for the extraterrestrial beasties that decide to come to Earth one fine day and start mowing down everything that makes a peep. At least the creatures' most recent cinematic progenitor, the Cloverfield monster, has a name by virtue of his film's offbeat title. The "Quiet Place" aliens have to settle for being unofficially dubbed "Death Angels," a term taken from a newspaper headline clipping seen posted on a board in the first movie.

That said, us monster kids' loss is cinema's gain, because it is the very unknowability of the Death Angels which lend the "A Quiet Place" films such spooky, tense power. Put simply, the franchise is not focused on the beasties themselves, but is rather a very engaging and exciting exercise in suspense and survival, with the first two films following the exploits of the Abbott family: daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds), son Marcus (Noah Jupe), matriarch Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and patriarch Lee (John Krasinski). In addition to acting, Krasinski impressively co-wrote and directed both the first film and "Part II," proving he has a knack for genre and for nail-biting setpieces a la Steven "Jurassic Park" Spielberg.

Although "Part II" certainly left room to continue the saga of the Abbott family, the "Quiet Place" universe is expanding in some exciting new directions. Not only will the next installment, "A Quiet Place: Day One," be set at the beginning of the Death Angels' invasion of Earth, but it will feature a whole new cast of characters both in front of and behind the camera, including the film's director and co-writer. Read on for what we know so far.

Paramount Pictures has scheduled "A Quiet Place: Day One" to premiere in theaters on June 28, 2024. If that date doesn't correspond with what you may remember from previous announcements, you're not crazy: the film was originally scheduled for March 31, 2023, then moved to September 22, 2023, and later March 8, 2024, before finally landing on June 28. All these musical chairs are the result of some behind the scenes shuffling while the movie was being developed: originally, "Day One" was to be written and directed by Jeff Nichols, who had some genre cred thanks to 2011's apocalyptic "Take Shelter" and 2016's sci-fi-infused "Midnight Special." Recent months have been bumpy for Nichols: not only did he end up leaving "Day One" due to creative differences, but his latest film, "The Bikeriders," got removed from 20th Century Studios' release schedule last year (fortunately, Focus Features have picked up that movie for release on, ironically enough, June 21).

The other reason for the delay is undoubtedly due to the 2023 strikes from the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, causing Paramount to move "Day One" from the franchise's traditional March spot (the month that the first film dropped and the originally planned, pre-pandemic release of "Part II" was scheduled for, though that film eventually moved to May of '21) to late June. Releasing a large-scale, blockbuster-y sequel on that day is a smart enough move; right now, the prequel's only competition is the Kevin Costner-led Western epic "Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1," which shouldn't overlap with the audience for "Day One" too much (though this writer is eager to be sat for both).

Although an official synopsis for the film has yet to be released, two versions of a first trailer (a full-length trailer and a "big game spot" that premiered during the Super Bowl) have dropped, providing a good deal of hints as to the film's look and tone, if not its plot. Most obviously, the film takes place during the first days of the extraterrestrial Death Angels' invasion. If that setting sounds familiar, it's because it was partially depicted in the opening sequence of "Part II." However, that sequence, like the rest of the first two films, followed the Abbott family, attempting to survive the invaders in the small town of Millbrook, New York.

What the trailers for "Day One" reveal is that this film will largely be taking place in New York City itself, centered around a new character: Sam, played by Lupita Nyong'o. Intriguingly, the only previously established character from the franchise to make an appearance (outside of the trailer's flashback footage, used to indicate the film's prequel setting) is Djimon Hounsou's mysterious figure from "Part II," a man so far only identified as The Man on the Island. In "Part II," the Man is the leader of a small community of survivors who'd escaped to an island once it was discovered that the Death Angels, in addition to having sensitive hearing, cannot swim. Certainly we're likely to see who the Man was before the invasion happened, and how he made it to that island. As for the rest of the film's events, it looks like a lot of New Yorkers are going to have a very, very bad day, especially if they're not able to keep their mouths shut.

Although the fate of "Day One" seemed in question when Nichols left the project, what was once the movie's biggest hurdle became its most intriguing element after co-writer/director Michael Sarnoski signed on. Although Sarnoski only has a couple of television episodes and one feature film under his belt, that film happens to be "Pig" starring Nicolas Cage, one of the best movies of 2021. Judging from the released trailers, it appears Sarnoski is more than able to handle the increased scale of "Day One," and if he's able to attach his remarkable approach to character and tone to it, too, then we're in for a big treat.

The creative team certainly has the cast with which he can make it happen: in addition to Nyong'o and Hounsou, the film will also feature Joseph Quinn (Eddie from "Stranger Things" season four) as Eric, character actor Denis O'Hare (seen in dozens of projects from "Michael Clayton" to "American Horror Story") and Sarnoski's "Pig" co-star Alex Wolff in as-yet unnamed roles. Sarnoski's cinematographer from "Pig," Pat Scola, returns as well, and judging by the trailers he's already cooking up some compelling and distinct visuals (such as Nyong'o's Sam covered in what may be dust, ash ... or worse).

While tense, pulse-pounding setpieces are what we've come to expect from a "Quiet Place" installment, one can't help but wonder what other surprises may be in store in "Day One." Will we catch a glimpse of the Abbott family again? What about Scoot McNairy's Marina Man or Cillian Murphy's Emmett from "Part II?" Will we get any hints about what may happen after the events of "Part II?" Most of all, will we find out anything more about these Death Angels, where they're from, what they want, or what they should be called? 

As with all things "A Quiet Place," the excitement lives within the suspense.