Natalia Dyer and Elijah Wood are set to join original cast members Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusackwho are currently negotiating the terms of their return, in a sequel to the 2007 supernatural horror film “1408,” Variety can reveal exclusively. Mikael Håfström, who directed the first film, returns to helm the sequel, which he co-wrote with Mark Verheiden.
While Jackson and Cusack will reprise their original roles, they will be secondary characters in the sequel, according to a source familiar with the project. Dyer will star in the film, and Wood will play a supporting role. Details about their characters remain under wraps.
Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Bluestone Entertainment’s Richard Saperstein, Spyglass Media Group and Frank Mayor serve as producers. Bluestone Entertainment and FilmNation Entertainment are co-financing, with FilmNation representing the international distribution rights, co-representing domestic rights with WME Independent and introducing it to buyers at AFM next week. John Papsidera (“The Odyssey”) serves as casting director. Production is currently slated to begin in the first quarter of 2027.
Based on Stephen King’s 1999 short story of the same name, “1408” follows author Michael Enslin, played by Cusack, who, as part of his new book on haunted hotels, investigates legends of mysterious and violent deaths behind door 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel in New York City. Jackson co-stars as Gerald Olin, the Dolphin Hotel’s manager. Plot details for the sequel have not been disclosed.
“1408,” released by MGM, was a cult hit in 2007, grossing $132 million worldwide against a slim budget of just $25 million. Cusack has gone on record saying it would be the only film he’d ever do a sequel for, telling People in 2025, “I was lucky that I never had the desire, or no one asked me to do any sequels. There’s one that I think would be interesting to do, which would be ‘1408.’ Just because … I think today, you know, most movies suck.”
Dyer rose to global recognition through her breakout role as Nancy Wheeler in Netflix’s marquee series “Stranger Things.” She is currently in production on HBO’s true-crime limited series, “The Trial of Louise Woodward.” She also has Oran Zegman’s rom-com “Goodbye Girl,” starring Kiernan Shipka and Cole Sprouse, on the horizon. Her previous credits include the coming-of-age comedy film, “Yes, God, Yes,” from writer-director Karen Maine.
“Lord of the Rings” icon Wood has become a horror genre regular, recently appearing in “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come,” “The Toxic Avenger” and Osgood Perkins’ “The Monkey.” It was recently revealed that Wood will return to Middle-earth as Frodo Baggins in Andy Serkis’ “LOTR” sequel “The Hunt for Gollum.” Wood is also joining the cast of Netflix’s “The Gentlemen” for Season 3.
Cusack, best known for roles in “Say Anything,” “High Fidelity” and “Being John Malkovich,” was a staple leading man throughout the ‘90s and early 2000s, but has mostly stayed out of the spotlight in recent years. His last big-screen credits were for the 2025 thriller “Fog of War” and a pair of foreign films: “Detective Chinatown 1900” and “Decoded.”
Jackson, the star of “Pulp Fiction,” “Avengers” and “The Hateful Eight,” likewise rose to stardom in the ’90s and has been all over the big screen lately. His most recent film roles were “The Beast,” which hit theaters on Oct. 9, and “Just Play Dead.” His upcoming projects include J.J. Abrams’s “The Great Beyond,” “The Incredibles 3” and “Avengers: Secret Wars.”
Dyer is represented by Circle Management + Production, CAA and Jackoway Austen Tyerman. Wood is represented by Linden Entertainment, Gersh and Meyer & Downs. Cusack is represented by Link Entertainment, Wolf Kasteler Public Relations and Ziffren Brittenham. Jackson is represented by Anonymous Content, CAA and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner Auerbach Hynick Jaime LeVine Sample & Klein.
Source: variety.com
