Filmmaker Ari Aster reveals writing a "prequel" to horror film 'Hereditary'
Jun 09, 2026
Washington DC [US], June 9 : Filmmaker Ari Aster revealed that he has already written the script for the prequel of 'Hereditary' but doesn't have any plans to shoot it, reported Variety.
At the Egyptian Theatre screening of 'Hereditary', the filmmaker said, "I wrote a prequel to this (Hereditary). It never feels like the right time. It's a prequel, not a sequel, so I don't know where this goes," as quoted by Variety.
"Hereditary" was Aster's feature directorial debut, which starred Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro and Gabriel Byrne. The film follows the Graham family, whose unassuming life begins to violently unravel after the death of the reclusive grandmother.
Since then, Aster has directed films 'Midsommar,' 'Beau Is Afraid' and 'Eddington.'
According to Variety, the critics describe Aster's movies as "elevated horror". However, the director rejected such labels, saying "I hate the term elevated horror, especially because it's sort of a box that I was put in and horror fans took umbrage," as quoted by Variety.
Aster later explained that Danny DeVito tried to finance "Hereditary," but he couldn't find the cash to do so. The unnamed financier Aster eventually chose, he explained, put him through "one of the darkest times of my life."
"It was just in the hands of a financier that was, how do we say it? Worse," Aster explained. "I'm afraid to say the name because he might show up in my life. Really a nightmare who I had signed my life away, I had signed the film away to him. He had me in the palm of his hand. It was one of the darkest times of my life, actually finishing this film and trying to protect it, keep it from just blowing up," as quoted by Variety.
Aster's last directorial was Eddington, an American satirical neo-Western thriller film that starred Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Luke Grimes, Deirdre O'Connell, Michael Ward, Austin Butler, and Emma Stone.
Set in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and George Floyd protests, the film examines the political and social turmoil in the fictional town of Eddington, New Mexico, caused by the contested mayoral election fought between Sheriff Joe Cross and Mayor Ted Garcia.
The movie was released in 2025.