Last December, Netflix’s ‘Bird Box’ created something of a craze, with social media erupting with buzz about the thriller– although there is a compelling argument that this was fabricated– and knuckleheads filming themselves taking (and getting hurt doing) the “#birdboxchallenge,” where they blindfolded themselves and tried to carry out everyday activities. You know, like operating a motor vehicle!
But before the hospital visits and the hashtags, before Sandra Bullock, and before Netflix even, ‘Bird Box’ was an award-winning novel, written by Josh Malerman, published in 2014. Now Malerman, who has published five other novels since, is returning with ‘Malorie’, a sequel to ‘Bird Box’.
Speaking to Esquire, Malerman stated:
In the time between Bird Box (the movie) coming out and the time since I’ve been writing Malorie, I’ve been asked a ton of times: people want to know what happened with Boy and Girl. But as much as I care about Boy and Girl, this isn’t their story. The Bird Box world is Malorie’s story, and I wanted to know more about her. I wanted to get to know her even better. At the end of the movie, I turned to my girl Allison and said, “I want to know what happens next!” and she’s like, “Well, you know, you could make that happen,” so it really was this warm feeling.
However, don’t expect to spend too much time at the Janet Tucker School For The Blind, as Malerman says, that when ‘Malorie’ opens, “They’ve left there.” And what about those mysterious monsters that are never shown?
“I don’t want to give too much away. Let me think of a cool way to put it. I will say this: we get to know both Malorie and the creatures better.”
Josh Malerman’s ‘Malorie’ will hit bookstores on October 1, 2019. Presumably, Netflix will pounce at the chance to adapt it into another movie. Let’s hope fewer real people wind up at hospitals this time.
