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Don't Be Surprised If Passenger Starts A New Franchise [Exclusive]

By Jeremy Mathai

May 23, 2026 9:00 am EST

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Paramount Pictures

Warning: This article contains spoilers for "Passenger."_

Few movies these days are as valuable as a breakthrough horror movie buoyed by excellent word of mouth, and few studios can resist the urge to turn those hits into potential long-running franchises of their own. Most recently, Zach Cregger's "Weapons" provided one possible blueprint through the planned Aunt Gladys spin-off/prequel film. Could we see history repeat itself with director André Øvredal's latest effort, "Passenger," and its eponymous villain taken straight out of (fictional) folklore?

While nobody's making any promises just yet, you'd better believe that this has been a topic on the mind of many involved in the making of "Passenger." The audience will ultimately have the final say on the matter, of course, but it certainly helps that this new horror flick has one heck of a movie monster to support multiple movies all on its own. Portrayed by actor Joseph Lopez, the demonic entity known only as the Passenger preys upon unsuspecting travelers across the American heartland who dare break the "rules" — whether it be driving at night or simply stopping to help other drivers in need.

In a recent interview with /Film, Øvredal explained how balancing what to reveal and what to hold back regarding the antagonist's lore was a key focus. "And particularly in this one, because we're building a whole new villain character that has a lore that we don't want to over-explain," he told us over Zoom. "We want to make sure that it leaves the audience wanting more, actually."

"So we'll always leave some gaps open, deliberately. That might, for some people, be frustrating, to want to actually [ask], 'Why isn't that explained?" or whatever, but that's just nature of storytelling, I think. You can never feed into everyone's need of information."

Passenger will leave people wanting more, but is a sequel in the cards?

Paramount Pictures

For those who've watched the upcoming thriller, the idea of a malevolent entity stalking the roadways of the United States and ready to inflict jump scares certainly feels compelling enough to explore in many different ways. While the story of Maddie (Lou Llobell) and Tyler (Jacob Scipio) is told to a satisfying conclusion in the film, what about a new batch of unsuspecting characters? Or perhaps even a spin-off focused on Melissa Leo's supporting character Diana, who attempts to help the young couple out and clearly knows more about the creature than she's letting on about? And while the Passenger himself meets a grisly end, who's to say writers couldn't find a clever workaround — whether it be as a prequel or some other route?

So how did director André Øvredal and his creative team approach making a movie that could theoretically lead to more down the road? According to the filmmaker, very delicately. The franchise potential of "Passenger" clearly wasn't far from any of their minds. It's far too early in the film's theatrical run to confirm one way or another, of course, but let's just say that those curious for an even deeper exploration into the so-called Passenger and his enigmatic origins aren't barking up the wrong tree. As Øvredal explained to /Film:

"I mean, whenever you're making a movie about a villain, you can always foresee that that villain can come back in some capacity in another movie, another story, for sure. We haven't really talked about it that much, but it's a conversation [we've] had, for sure, several times."

Fortunately, for those ready and eager for more, "Passenger" is now playing in theaters.