Happy Death Day 3 is finally starting to gain momentum, and there is already some exciting updates about the genre-bending slasher franchise’s return. In Happy Death Day 2U, Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) discovers that her boyfriend’s science nerd roommate Ryan (Phi Vu) invented a machine called the Sisyphus Quantum Cooling Reactor (SISSY for short). SISSY then overloaded and not only trapped Tree in another time loop, but it sent her to a parallel dimension as well.

Happy Death Day 2U significantly expanded the franchise with the concept of parallel dimensions and also directly set up a third chapter. However, Happy Death Day 3 updates have been few and far between, and more than half a decade has pᴀssed since the first sequel in 2019. Fortunately, the threequel is finally moving forward, and the franchise isn’t ᴅᴇᴀᴅ in the water quite yet. Though Happy Death Day 3 is still in the early stages, director Christopher Landon is set to return, as is series star Jessic Rothe.

Happy Death Day 3 Latest News

The Director & Star Confirm The Movie Is Moving Forward

After years of silence regarding the threequel, the latest news confirms that Happy Death Day 3 is finally beginning to move forward. Director Christopher Landon and star Jessica Rothe have been vocal proponents of the beleaguered slasher sequel since 2019, and now they can finally provide some good news after half a decade of setbacks. In a recent appearance, the duo triumphantly announced that “The third movie is moving forward,” though they couldn’t give away any other details.

This comes a month or so after Landon teased that he had spoken to Rothe about making another movie, and how he was currently cooking up new story ideas. With the plot of the film still in flux, it’s safe to say that the sequel is firmly in the developmental stage, especially since Blumhouse hasn’t announced a green light yet.

Happy Death Day 3 Is In Development

The Threequel Comes Back From The ᴅᴇᴀᴅ

After Happy Death Day 2U underperformed at the box office in 2019, producer Jason Blum declared Happy Death Day 3 ᴅᴇᴀᴅ in the water. However, more than half a decade later, director Christopher Landon has announced that the threequel is “moving forward.” What that means isn’t exactly clear, but it’s likely a confirmation that development has started once again on Happy Death Day 3, and that writing is getting back underway after years of delays. Landon has maintained a strong relationship with Blum’s Blumhouse Productions, which bodes well for another Happy Death Day movie.

Christopher Landon has directed the following films for Blumhouse:

Happy Death Day 3 Cast Details

Who Will Join Tree In The Threequel?

Since little is known about Happy Death Day 3, the cast is shrouded in mystery. However, with franchise star Jessica Rothe being so vocal about the threequel, it’s ᴀssumed that she’ll reprise her role as Tree Gelbman. Other returns are less certain, though many of the familiar faces from the first two movies are certain to join Rothe when the third film finally rolls around. Israel Broussard played Tree’s boyfriend Carter, while Phi Vu appeared as Carter’s scientist roommate, Ryan Phan. Vu is a shoo-in, especially since his character essentially got them into the mess in the first place.

Samar Ghosh (Suraj Sharma) and Dre Morgan (Sarah Yarkin) accompanied Tree to the DARPA laboratory at the end of Happy Death Day 2U, so it’s also probable that they would return. Thanks to the multidimensional nature of the Happy Death Day story, any character that has appeared could potentially reprise their role in the next installment, even if they died in another timeline.

Happy Death Day 3 Story Details

Multiple Ideas For Happy Death Day 3

Happy Death Day 2U‘s post-credits scene already sets up the story of Happy Death Day 3. After Tree is finally able to close the loop and return to her home dimension, a new element is introduced in the form of DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) led by Dr. Isaac Parker (Kenneth Israel). Dr. Parker brings the college students to a DARPA lab and reveals they took possession of SISSY and want to test its potential to trap people in time loops.

Tree volunteers her frenemy Danielle (Rachel Matthews) as SISSY’s new victim – and Danielle wakes up screaming, indicating she’s now stuck in her own time loop. The escalation of Tree’s universe seen in Happy Death Day 2U was poised to continue in the third film, with the U.S. Government looking to exploit SISSY. This opened up all kinds of possibilities that would’ve put Tree back into a time loop, likely to save Danielle. However, it’s unclear how many of those ideas were scrapped when the movie was canceled the first time.

In early 2025, Christopher Landon mentioned that Happy Death Day 3 will feature a different time loop and that it aims to add a new genre into the mix. The second film melded sci-fi with horror, but it’s unclear exactly what new genre could be squeezed into the already complex story. The most likely addition is action, with Tree fighting off government agents who want to exploit SISSY for evil. Horror can neatly juxtapose with action, and Happy Death Day 3 could still build on previous ideas despite its troubled development.