“The first two movies are about one family, so I expanded the world, but that was just incidental. The heart of it is making sure that the characters’ stories are front and center,” says writer-director Michael Sarnoski of A Quiet Place: Day One, a taut horror thriller with big screen action that honors the legacy of the blockbuster franchise and shows audiences what happened on the day the world went quiet.
Just over six years ago, audiences packed movie theaters, transfixed and terrified by an eerily silent and deadly world in which the slightest noise can kill. John Krasinski and Platinum Dunes’ A Quiet Place transported viewers to a bucolic landscape where savage aliens hunt by sound and a resilient young family survives by wit, grit, and ironclad discipline. The runaway commercial and critical success of the film inspired A Quiet Place Part II, also directed and written by Krasinski, in which the family sets out on an odyssey through the ruined countryside. The two films collectively grossed well over $600 million worldwide.
Michael Sarnoski Q & A
For Sarnoski, the original A Quiet Place was unforgettable largely due to its exceptional execution. “John took the concept and brought it to new heights, it was so elevated and character-driven,” he says.
He crafted a riveting tale of the day world dominance abruptly ends for humanity. Unlike Krasinski’s intimate story of four people already familiar with the rules of their new lives, Sarnoski’s characters are instantaneously immersed in terror as the creatures descend into central Manhattan. They have no choice but to adapt to the laws of silence in order to survive as they watch the horrifying events unfold in real time.
“The only parameter I was given was that it had to be set in New York City,” Sarnoski says. “To be honest, at first I wasn’t sure I wanted to do an invasion story set in Manhattan. That seems to be an entire genre of its own. So I knew that if I was going to do it, it would have to be completely different from anything that came before.”
Tossing out what he saw as well-worn conventions, Sarnoski landed on what story he wanted to tell. “I gave John a one-minute pitch about a woman who comes to New York on a quest for her favorite pizza just as the world is ending. John’s response was, ‘Yeah! Let’s do it.’”
New York City is under siege by a deadly, unknown enemy that hunts by sound and kills ruthlessly in A Quiet Place: Day One. The third chapter and prequel to the wildly popular franchise leaves the rural home of the Abbott family to tell the story of the day meteorites fell from the sky and humans were snatched away by vicious creatures, never to be seen again. When Samira (Lupita Nyong’o) returns to the city of her birth, all she wants is a slice from her favorite pizzeria. Instead, she finds herself trapped in a brutal waking nightmare that could be her last day on Earth. Accompanied by a virtual stranger named Eric (Joseph Quinn) and her cat Frodo, she embarks on a perilous journey past burning buildings, flooded subways, and smashed cars in a newly silent world where danger lurks everywhere.
From Page To Screen
When producer Andrew Form first read the original screenplay, he had thought it was a great, original premise – a concept that had never been done before. With years of experience producing successful horror films, such as The Purge series and remakes of Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), Form knew what would resonate with horror audiences and that – coupled with Krasinski’s take on the character-driven narrative – proved to be the perfect formula to create a phenomenon that launched a franchise. “A big part of the appeal was that the audience enjoyed finding out how this family survived,” Form recalls.
Krasinski and producer Michael Bay first worked together in 2015 when the actor was starring in 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. As Bay and his Platinum Dunes partners got to know the actor, ideas for A Quiet Place first began percolating. “I had a wonderful time working with John,” recalls Bay. “I wholeheartedly supported the idea of John directing and starring in that first movie. It’s a joy to watch how he and Michael have upped the game on this installment.”
The two films also dangled tantalizing questions for viewers. What are these creatures and where did they come from? Why did they come to Earth? Can they be vanquished? While developing the newest installment, Krasinski found himself asking those same questions. “It was time to explore how the rest of the world was dealing with this crisis,” he says. “I especially wondered how people in a big city like New York, with all the chaos and noise there, all the millions of people, would respond.”
That idea became the basis for A Quiet Place: Day One. An ordinary day in Manhattan becomes a global catastrophe when an interplanetary invasion rains creatures down on Earth and the indiscriminate slaughter of humanity begins. “I wanted to take a place we all know and put it in extraordinary circumstances,” Krasinski explains. “New York City, whether you’ve been there or not, whether you like it or not, is instantly familiar. And in a world where murderouscreatures can appear at any time, from any place they detect a noise, New York is not the best place to be.”
Although the latest film introduces new characters in a new location, it is set in the same world with the same creatures. “And the same rules,” says Form. “If they hear you, they will hunt you. Silence is survival. Never make a sound. Never leave the path you know. And be ready to run.”
Although previous commitments prevented Krasinski from writing or directing the prequel, he remained involved as a producer — alongside franchise producers Michael Bay, Form and Brad Fuller — and took part in the search for a new filmmaker. “Paramount was on board with the basic concept,” he says. “We went looking for a writer-director who could bring something totally unique. We found that in Michael Sarnoski.”
Sarnoski, whose debut feature Pig was named Best First Screenplay at the 2022 Independent Spirit Awards, impressed him as an original thinker and creator. “I thought he would be an amazing choice for Day One,” says Krasinski. “He is not only an extremely talented filmmaker, he also had a unique take on this world. I hadn’t thought of anything like it. It was just brilliant.”
Form says he loved everything about Pig. “And it turned out Michael loved the Quiet Place world. We listened to his pitch and everything he said was exactly what we were looking for. The relationship between Samira and Eric is front and center, but they are also dealing with the threat of the creatures as they get to know each other.”
A New Vision
For Sarnoski, the original A Quiet Place was unforgettable largely due to its exceptional execution. “John took the concept and brought it to new heights, it was so elevated and character-driven,” he says. “The first two movies are about one family, so I expanded the world, but that was just incidental. The heart of it is making sure that the characters’ stories are front and center.”
Sarnoski has crafted a riveting tale of the day world dominance abruptly ends for humanity. Unlike Krasinski’s intimate story of four people already familiar with the rules of their new lives, Sarnoski’s characters are instantaneously immersed in terror as the creatures descend into central Manhattan. They have no choice but to adapt to the laws of silence in order to survive as they watch the horrifying events unfold in real time.
“The only parameter I was given was that it had to be set in New York City,” Sarnoski says. “To be honest, at first I wasn’t sure I wanted to do an invasion story set in Manhattan. That seems to be an entire genre of its own. So I knew that if I was going to do it, it would have to be completely different from anything that came before.”
Tossing out what he saw as well-worn conventions, Sarnoski landed on what story he wanted to tell. “I gave John a one-minute pitch about a woman who comes to New York on a quest for her favorite pizza just as the world is ending. John’s response was, ‘Yeah! Let’s do it.’”
Sarnoski suggested that Krasinski and Form meet with Pat Scola, the director of photography for Pig,who had some innovative insights of his own. As Scola imagined New York City in the movie, it was a drastically different place. The power is out, buildings are on fire, there is darkness and underground flooding. “There were a lot of elements of stylization that were necessary to the aesthetic of a film,” says Scola. “But one of the things Michael and I tried to hang on to was keeping the human perspective alive. We wanted to allow the camera to live in a way that’s very rooted and subjective to these people so we can experience what they’re going through.”
Sarnoski and Scola had developed a close rapport while shooting Pig. “We think the same way,” says the director. “We can bounce ideas off each other and finish each other’s sentences. That dynamic worked well on Pig, so I wanted to work with Pat again. He’s extremely detail-oriented and familiar with every bit of technology, but he’s also a true artist. He’s constantly thinking about what we want to get across emotionally, not just making a pretty image.”
Sarnoski began work on the script in February 2022 in New York, a city he had visited but never lived in. Wandering the streets to soak up the atmosphere, Sarnoski discovered many of the places that would be featured in the film. His first priority was developing his lead, Samira, a woman who grew up in New York but left long ago. “I wanted almost everything we see in the movie to be through her lens as she tries to figure out this world.”
Sarnoski met with Krasinski periodically to review each draft, but says for the most part he was given complete creative freedom. “If I needed clarification on something, I could ask John. Otherwise, he just let me play with what I wanted to do.”
By September 2022, Sarnoski was living in London in preparation for principal photography to commence at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in early February 2023. Production designer Simon Bowles and his team were then tasked with recreating Manhattan from Chinatown to Harlem at the 200-acre studio complex. The production also went on location at Canary Wharf, Shoreditch Town Hall, and the Woolwich Dockyard.
During preproduction, Sarnoski and Bowles had explored New York together, tracing the route that Samira would take in the film, absorbing the city’s lively vibe, energy, and details with every step. “We imagined what it would feel like to be in these neighborhoods when there is no movement, no life, no noise,” says the director.
Bowles, whose credits range from the period drama Belle to the horror classic The Descent, relished the idea of returning to the thriller genre. “It was wonderful to come back to horror and have fun with visceral elements like blood and destruction,” he laughs. “The big city setting is the exact opposite of the other movies. We see destruction on a massive scale as the creatures arrive.”
Asked to recreate all of Manhattan on a studio backlot about 20 miles northwest of London, Bowles began by assembling elaborately detailed replications of key locations. “Everything was designed in 3D using virtual reality, models, and walk-throughs in the computer world. When I walked onto the actual sets, I was blown away by the amount of detail my crew put into them.”
Krasinski says that for him the most exciting part of making A Quiet Place was creating a brand new world that no one had ever experienced before. Now, he is thrilled from a different perspective. “Seeing Michael take that idea and run with it has been every bit as satisfying. I loved watching every second of it.”
Sarnoski still remembers the excitement he felt when Krasinski told him how much he admired Pig. “He actually asked me to bring some Pig to the Quiet Place world. So I hope the audience is excited to come and experience something a little different this time.”
The director rose to the challenge, says Form. “He embraced this world and these creatures enthusiastically and leaned into the scale and scope of it. I am also really looking forward to audiences seeing what Lupita has done with this role. Together she and Michael created an unforgettable heroine. Her performance is just next-level.”
“Day One is an old-fashioned thrill ride,” says producer Brad Fuller, “which is due in great part to the solid performances of Lupita and Joe; they’re both riveting. I can’t say enough, it’s just impossible not to be captivated by the action on screen.”
Form urges everyone who can to see A Quiet Place: Day One on the big screen.“As a moviegoing experience, sound plays an unusually important role in the movie. To appreciate that fully, you have to see it in a theater. I know you can enjoy the movie on any platform, but I would argue the enjoyment level goes up exponentially when you’re sitting in a hushed auditorium living the experience with the characters, as well as the other people watching with you — and knowing that if you even touch your popcorn everyone is going to hear you.”
It was Sarnoski’s high school history teacher who first introduced the director to the horror genre through zombie films, which the teacher saw as political allegory. “I got into the blood and gore back then, but I lost interest as I got older. So I’ve tried to make a horror movie that doesn’t pull its punches on scares, but also leaves the audience feeling optimistic. I wanted to make something that was horrific yet awe-inspiring and beautiful.”
MICHAEL SARNOSKI (Directed by, Screenplay by & Story by) is an award-winning filmmaker as the writer and director of Pig starring Nicolas Cage and Alex Wolff. This was his directorial debut for which he won the National Board of Review Award for ‘Best Directorial Debut’ and the Independent Spirit Award for ‘Best First Screenplay’. He also received nominations from the Directors Guild of America for ‘Outstanding Directing – First-Time Feature Film’ and the Gotham Independent Film nomination for ‘Best Feature’. Pig was hailed as The New York Times’ ‘Critic’s Pick’, a Metacritic Must-See and on countless critics’ top 10 lists with a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Most recently, he directed and wrote A Quiet Place: Day One, starring Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn. Sarnoski was handpicked by John Krasinski to take the lead in directing and writing the stand-alone original spinoff from the successful A Quiet Place franchise. Paramount Pictures will release the film wide on June 28th. Currently, Sarnoski is in development writing and directing The Death of Robin Hood, an original reimagining of Robin Hood from a spec he wrote, starring Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer.
JOHN KRASINSKI (Story by & Produced by) has established himself as one of the most exciting talents as an actor, writer, and director, engaging audiences on the big and small screen.
Krasinski recently completed post-production on IF for Paramount, which he wrote, directed, produced, and starred. The film will release theatrically in May 2024 and features an impressive cast including Ryan Reynolds, Cailey Fleming, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fiona Shaw, Louis Gossett Jr., and Steve Carell.
Krasinski co-wrote, directed, and starred in the 2019 Academy Award-nominated A Quiet Place, which was also nominated for a PGA Award, WGA Award for Krasinski for Screenplay, and won star Emily Blunt the SAG Award for Best Supporting Actress, and was named one of AFI’s Top 10 Films of the Year. In 2016, Krasinski directed and starred in The Hollars with Richard Jenkins and Anna Kendrick. Krasinski made his directorial debut by adapting and directing the David Foster Wallace book Brief Interviews with Hideous Men which premiered at Sundance and was released by IFC. Most recently, Krasinski released A Quiet Place: Part II, which he wrote and directed. The film had the biggest opening weekend of any film during the pandemic and was nominated for multiple awards, including a BAFTA.
Krasinski formed his award-winning independent production company, Sunday Night, in 2013 with Allyson Seeger. Upcoming, they will produce the psychological horror Apartment 7A starring Julia Garner with Natalie Erika James directing. As a continuation of the A Quiet Place series, Krasinski will produce the spin-off prequel A Quiet Place: Day One, with Michael Sarnoski directing. Krasinski also created and hosted the massively successful web series “Some Good News.” The series’ episodes have amassed over 75 million views.
Krasinski notably starred on NBC’s Emmy-winning smash hit “The Office” for nine seasons, where he portrayed Jim Halpert. He most recently starred in the highly acclaimed hit thriller “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”for Amazon which premiered its fourth and final season in 2023.
His film credits include the Gus Van Sant directed Promise Land, which he also wrote with Matt Damon; he lent his voice in Disney Pixar’s Monsters University and DC League of Super-Pets; legendary Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s animated film The Wind Rises; and Cameron Crowe’s Aloha; Michael Bay’s Benghazi thriller 13 Hours; the uplifting family film Big Miracle; Something Borrowed; Nancy Meyers’ It’s Complicated; Sam Mendes’ Away We Go; the animated smash hits Monsters Vs. Aliens and Shrek the Third; George Clooney’s Leatherheads; Ken Kwapis’ License to Wed; Christopher Guest’s For Your Consideration; Bill Condon’s Kinsey; and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
