Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 star Matthew Lillard teases a third installment, making some bold promises about what he will do if it happens. While the Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 trailer gave audiences their first terrifying look at the horror sequel, which hits theaters December 5, 2025, starring Lillard, Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, and Skeet Ulrich, anticipation is already brewing for Five Nights at Freddy’s 3.
The first movie became a surprise box office success in 2023, and the sequel will continue the story with even more animatronics with new and returning characters. At San Diego Comic-Con 2025, it was teased that if the sequel performs well, a third movie could be on the way, with Lillard’s character, William Afton, ready to get even darker.
During the Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 panel at SDCC, where ScreenRant was in attendance, Lillard and Blumhouse founder Jason Blum gave fans an exciting tease of what could come next.
The pair said that if Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is a box office hit, a third film would definitely be in the cards, with Lillard teasing a particularly bloodthirsty fate for Hutcherson’s Mike. Read their full comments below:
Matthew Lillard: “If it’s a hit, they’re gonna make a third movie, and if they make a third movie, I get to kill Mike Schmidt… it’s going to be cinematic magic.”
Jason Blum: “If enough people go… we’d be very excited to make a Five Nights at Freddy’s 3.”
What This Means For The Five Nights At Freddy’s Franchise
A Third Movie Could Complete William Afton’s Twisted Story
Lillard’s comments hint at a deeper narrative development for the franchise. After surviving the events of the first film, Hutcherson’s Mike Schmidt returns in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, likely with higher stakes and closer confrontations with Afton. While a third FNAF movie hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, Blum and Lillard’s comments show that momentum is building.
Lillard’s comments about killing Mike are fitting. In the game canon, Mike dies between the first FNAF and FNAF 3, with the third installment implying he’s already ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. However, since Hutcherson’s character has been pivotal to the film adaptations, it’s unlikely he’ll die offscreen, meaning his death, if it happens, would need to be a major on-screen event. Whether that happens will depend heavily on the direction FNAF 2 takes.
Universal and Blumhouse have already been teasing long-term plans for the franchise, and although the films loosely adapt the video game’s lore rather than directly following it, the trailer revealed that Five Nights at Freddy’s character, The Puppet, will appear in the sequel, making it clear that the franchise is building something bigger.
Our Take On Five Nights At Freddy’s 3
It Could Be The Most Unhinged Chapter Yet
The 2023 Five Nights at Freddy’s film was a surprise box office hit, and everything about the sequel, from the trailer to SDCC’s rowdy reception, suggests that Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is poised to top it. Lillard’s chaotic energy continues to be a highlight of the franchise, and his promise of a Mike Schmidt kill teases just how unhinged things could get if a third film happens.
If Blumhouse is going full franchise mode, this could be the perfect opportunity to lean into the most gruesome and game-accurate elements.
Considering how the film franchise is building its own canon alongside the game’s original, Mike’s potential death could raise the stakes and deepen the lore, giving Lillard’s William Afton a horrifying moment of triumph. If Blumhouse is going full franchise mode, this could be the perfect opportunity to lean into the most gruesome and game-accurate elements.
