New Line is officially moving forward with plans for a sequel to its 2016 supernatural horror success ‘Lights Out’ (again).

The Warner Bros. division has brought in rising writer Connor Osborn McIntyre to pen the screenplay, reviving a project that has gone through multiple development starts and stops over the years.

Original producer Lawrence Grey is set to return, joined by Eric Heisserer and David F. Sandberg—the writer and director of the first film—who will also produce. Additional producers include Ben Everard and Lotta Losten. Atomic Monster, the banner led by James Wan and a producer on the original movie, is also involved in the sequel.

The original ‘Lights Out’ marked Sandberg’s feature directorial debut and was adapted from his own short film. He later went on to direct ‘Annabelle: Creation’ and ‘Shazam!.’ The story centered on a mysterious entity that exists only in darkness, terrorizing a family. The film starred Teresa Palmer, Maria Bello, Gabriel Bateman, and Alexander DiPersia.

Details about the plot or direction of ‘Lights Out 2’ are being kept under wraps for now.

The first film proved to be a major financial success for New Line, earning $149 million worldwide on a production budget of under $5 million. Over the years, the studio has explored sequel ideas, with both Heisserer and Chris Borrelli having worked on drafts.

McIntyre is quickly gaining momentum in Hollywood. He wrote ‘Animals,’ a forthcoming dramatic thriller directed by and starring Ben Affleck alongside Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, and Kerry Washington. His script ‘American Midnight’ appeared on the annual Black List of top unproduced screenplays and was later acquired by Netflix, with Vertigo Entertainment and Spooky Pictures producing. Earlier in his career, his screenplay ‘Copenhagen’ was sold to Makeready and Fifth Season.

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