Fede Álvarez confirmed that “Don’t Breathe 3” is moving forward, revealing he has already written a script and that original stars Jane Levy and Stephen Lang will reprise their roles. The director made the announcement Friday during a tenth-anniversary screening of the first “Don’t Breathe” at Beyond Fest, held at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. Co-writer Rodo Sayagues joined Álvarez, Levy and Lang, along with fellow original cast member Dylan Minnette, for a Q&A following the screening.
The 2016 film, which Álvarez directed and co-wrote with Sayagues, followed three young burglars who break into the Detroit home of a blind war veteran, believing they’ve found an easy target, only to discover he’s far more dangerous than expected. Levy played Rocky, one of the intruders hoping the score would fund an escape from her circumstances, while Lang played Norman Nordstrom, the Blind Man whose military past and hidden secrets turn the home invasion into a fight for survival. Made for under $10 million, the original grossed nearly $158 million worldwide and helped cement Álvarez’s reputation as one of horror’s sharper genre stylists.
A 2021 sequel brought Lang back without Levy, with Sayagues taking over directing duties while Álvarez stayed on as co-writer and producer. That film recast Nordstrom in a more sympathetic light as he tried to rescue a kidnapped girl, a shift that divided longtime fans and drew a more modest $53.8 million worldwide. Levy’s absence, combined with the character rework, left the franchise’s next step uncertain for years.
Reuniting Levy and Lang for a third installment gives Álvarez a chance to bring Rocky and Nordstrom back into the same story after nearly a decade apart. It’s unclear whether Álvarez will direct the new film himself or hand the job to a collaborator, as he did with the second installment. He has spent recent years on other projects, including 2024’s “Alien: Romulus,” and has not disclosed a timeline for when production might begin or when “Don’t Breathe 3” could reach theaters.
