Later this week Paramount Pictures releases A Quiet Place: Day One, the third in the franchise created by John Krasinski. Ahead of that release we’re going behind the scenes and diving in deep with two of the film’s key driving forces.
Today it’s the turn of director Michael Sarnoski. Known for his work on 2021’s Pig, Sarnoski was lauded by the Directors Guild Of America and the Deauville Film Festival, among many other industry titans. All had been captivated by his ability to mix thrills and heart, to powerful, enthralling effect. That skillset was what bring A Quiet Place creator John Krasinski to Sarnoski’s door.
“John was like, ‘Here’s my world. We’re trying to do this New York ‘Day One’ invasion. What’s the story you want to tell in that world?’” Sarnoski remembers of their early conversations.
“The story ended up being unusually intimate. And John was very supportive of going down that path. He gave me a lot of freedom. He wasn’t trying to make this another ‘John’ A Quiet Place movie. He very much wanted to open up this world and hear other voices within it. And he’s very happy with the film.”
Sarnoski was a fan of Krasinski’s first two A Quiet Place movies because of the way they approached epic events through a subjective lens. “I wanted to maintain that. This film is about how these characters are experiencing this event from a boots-on-the-ground perspective,” he says.
“The thing the first movies did so well was circle a family. There was a core family story that the creatures just happened around. The real soul of the film came from the characters and the relationships,” Sarnoski says.
“This is a totally new set of characters. But we’re trying to do the same thing. There is a bunch of big, crazy stuff going on around the city, but the story is very focused on an intimate relationship. It’s fun to see these huge set-pieces paired with these intimate moments. That was one of the core ideas: as the world is ending all around us, how do we find these moments of peace and connection?”
Based on a story by John Krasinski & Michael Sarnoski and characters by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck, A Quiet Place: Day One is written and directed by Michael Sarnoski. The film stars Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff and Djimon Hounsou.
The film comes to UK cinemas on June 27, 2024.
