When will Happy Death Day 3 happen? It's a question that horror fanatics have repeatedly (on-brand) asked for a while now, as there's still no word on when the third installment may arrive. Fortunately, we got an update for 2026 from star Jessica Rothe, and a promise that has me pumped for the day we eventually see the Babyface killer's return.
Rothe recently addressed Happy Death Day 3's fate while talking to ScreenRant. More than a year on from a producer revealing the pitch for an event series on Peacock, the franchise actress encouraged everyone to keep preaching Happy Death Day's praises and sharing hopes for it to become an official trilogy. As she put it:
I think that is the power of zeitgeist. I think the more we ask, and the more we put it into the universe, it will happen. Because the truth is, Chris Landon, our brilliant, fearless writer/director, he has the whole third one figured out. And I’m sure he also has his version of the MCU, but the ‘ChrisCU’ with Freaky and Happy Death Day, and We Have a Ghost and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, they all could totally live in the same universe. That’s the crossover that I need right now in my life.
That would be a cool crossover, and I'm glad to hear Chris Landon is just as ready to do the movie as he was when talking about it years ago. He's also confirmed that he'd written a treatment for the story, but wouldn't be writing a fleshed-out script until he was sure that Happy Death Day 3 had studio commitment.
The only thing we know about the third movie's story is that it doesn't take place on the same day as the first two movies, which follow protagonist Tree as she's stuck in a time loop and forced to relive her birthday and murder.
Jessica Rothe continued and promised that if Happy Death Day 3 happens, she will be there. Even if it takes decades to make, she's vowed to reprise her role as Tree to finish out the story:
I think at this point, it’s just logistics. And all I’ll say to you and the fans is, whether it’s next year or when I’m 65, pulling a Jamie Lee Curtis coming back for Halloween, I will be there to finish Tree’s story. So, it’s just a matter of when they get all their ducks in a row.
I couldn't help but chuckle at Rothe using "ducks in a row," because she used that exact phrase a couple of years ago when asked about the third movie happening. Where are Blumhouse and Universal keeping these ducks, and why is it so difficult to get them aligned in a way to make this movie happen? I demand satis-'quack'-tion!
I am ultimately happy that it seems Jessica Rothe is tied to the Happy Death Day franchise, and there haven't been plans to reboot it or start fresh with a new lead yet. Granted, we're only ten years past the anniversary of the first movie's debut, so there's still time for a reboot to happen at some point in the future.
All that being said, director Christopher Landon has confirmed he's close with Jessica Rothe, so I don't think he'd exclude her from any HDD project without her blessing.
The original Happy Death Day is currently available to stream with an HBO Max subscription. It's been a while since I last watched, so I'm going to have to seek it out and relive all the fun of the original all over again.
