Odessa A’zion has cautiously hinted at a potential return for the Hellraiser reboot sequel, acknowledging ongoing conversations about a follow-up. Producer Keith Levine recently provided a promising update on the sequel’s development, teasing it will be “even crazier and even more awesome.”
A’zion’s return as Riley in the sequel could redeem past mistakes of the franchise, offering a chance to explore the Cenobites’ history in depth and not put the returning final girl on a darker path, as was the case with Ashley Laurence’s Kirsty.
With nearly two years passed since the franchise’s reboot became a hit for Hulu, Odessa A’zion has an interesting response to her potential Hellraiser 2 return. A’zion led the cast of the 2022 Hellraiser movie as Riley, a recovering addict whose attempts to bounce back while living with her brother, his boyfriend, and their roommate are upended when she discovers the Lament Configuration and inadvertently unleashes the Cenobites on them all. Helmed by David Bruckner, the movie garnered generally favorable reviews from critics, becoming only the second installment in the franchise to land a Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
During a recent interview with Screen Rant for her role in the upcoming crime drama Fresh Kills, A’zion was asked about her potential return in a Hellraiser sequel. The 2022 movie star was very cautious in what she shared about a sequel, humorously noting she would get “in so much trouble” if she said too much, while also confirming that she has heard conversations about a follow-up getting underway. See what A’zion said below:
“Oh god, I’m gonna get in so much trouble if I talk about anything. [Laughs] I’ve heard things here and there, nothing ever official, and I don’t think it’s ever gonna be official. But, also, you never know. You never know.”
A’zion’s comments come a little over a month after producer Keith Levine offered a promising update on the development of the Hellraiser reboot sequel, confirming that there are currently ongoing conversations for the follow-up and that Bruckner is still very involved in them. Though noting that he couldn’t share “where we’re at in those conversations,” Levine did go on to tease that the sequel is “going to be even crazier and even more awesome” than the first movie, a promising assurance for those who were thrilled by the previous installment.
Should A’zion indeed return as Riley for the Hellraiser sequel, it would interestingly parallel how the follow-up to Clive Barker’s original movie went in that Ashley Laurence reprised her role of original final girl, Kirsty Cotton, for the 1988 sequel. More than following in Kirsty’s footsteps, however, A’zion’s return could go a long way to redeeming the mistakes both it and 2002’s Hellraiser: Hellseeker made with the character. The latter sequel, in particular, was criticized by franchise fans for turning Kirsty into somewhat of a villain using the Lament Configuration for her own means.
The best path for Riley to return in a potential Hellraiser reboot sequel would be to have her deeper explore the history of the Cenobites, particularly if another person looks to summon them with the puzzle box. The 1988 sequel put Kirsty in a psychiatric hospital run by a doctor obsessed with the Cenobites, but with Riley’s own troubled past involving drugs, taking a page from this book would feel like a step back for the character rather than expand on the growth seen in the 2022 reboot. However, with Bruckner involved in the sequel’s development conversations, it seems unlikely he’d allow one of his characters to come back without a meaningful story.
The 2022 Hellraiser reboot is available to stream on Hulu.
