John Krasinski and the Tense Wait for ‘A Quiet Place Part II’

It’s been more than a year since the film he wrote and directed was originally set for release. Now, as the sequel to the 2018 hit reaches theaters, Hollywood is holding its breath.

On the night of March 8, 2020, John Krasinski was celebrating the imminent release of his new post-apocalyptic thriller, “A Quiet Place Part II,” which he wrote and directed. He proudly walked the red carpet for its premiere at the Rose Theater as he posed for photographs with Emily Blunt, his wife and the film’s star. He told the crowd at Jazz at Lincoln Center how excited he was to share the movie with them and, shortly, with audiences everywhere. Instead, in the days that followed, the world turned into a kind of horror movie itself. An unseen enemy drove people into seclusion; once-thriving locales turned empty and entire industries were put on hold. The release of “A Quiet Place Part II” was postponed. Krasinski spent that time thinking mostly about the safety of his family, but when he contemplated the uncertain state of his industry he also wondered what would happen to his film.