EXCLUSIVE: Sony’s Stage 6 Films has closed a deal for Will Merrick & Nick Johnson to make their directing debut on the sequel to the Screenlife hit film Searching, a sequel that will tell a different story from the original that starred John Cho and Debra Messing. The filmmakers served as the editorial team on Aneesh Chaganty-directed Hulu thriller Run, as well as the original 2018 Searching, which Chaganty directed.

The hiring keeps the creative team intact, albeit in new capacities. The film is being produced by Natalie Qasabian, Chaganty, Sev Ohanian of Search Party, Adam Sidman and digital filmmaking guru Timur Bekmambetov, who also produced the first movie. Jo Henriquez is executive producing and Congyu E is co-producing. Merrick and Johnson are writing the screenplay, based on a story by Sev Ohanian and Chaganty. The goal is to start production in the spring.

Searching 2‘s plot is still under wraps, but it will feature a new set of characters and an evolved Screenlife thriller format where the story plays out on the screens of the characters’ devices. The original starred Cho as a dad who breaks into his daughter’s computer when she goes missing, in a desperate attempt to track her down.

“With such restrictive visual parameters, a movie like Searching 2 requires a fresh visual style to separate it from the original,” Chaganty said. “I’ve contributed what I can to this growing sub-genre. But if there’s anyone on the planet with the potential to take it even further, it’s Nick and Will, who were there from the beginning.”

Said Bekmambetov, who has pioneered the Screenlife movement that makes small budget films that replicate the way people see the world through their electronic devices: “Searching is so far the most successful movie shot in the Screenlife format and the sequel is set to become a new milestone. What seemed like an experimental technique a few years ago has been given a momentum now with more and more industry professionals turning to this digital filmmaking technique.”

Said Qasabian: “On Searching, Will and Nick pioneered a new visual language and pushed the boundaries of what editors could contribute to a film. We are lucky and beyond excited to be working with them in their new roles as writers and directors on the sequel.”

Johnson & Merrick are USC grads who got their break as the editors and “directors of virtual photography” on Searching. That film was acquired by Sony at Sundance and released internationally. Critics loved the editing and visual style and the film grossed $75 million worldwide on a budget less than $1 million.

Merrick & Johnson are repped by Peter Sample at Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer.

EXCLUSIVE: Euphoria star Storm Reid is in negotiations to star in the sequel to the Sony Pictures’ Stage 6 Film box-office hit Searching. Will Merrick and Nick Johnson will direct the sequel, which will have a similar theme to the original that starred John Cho, but tell a different story.

Sony had no comment on Reid’s involvement.

Searching 2‘s plot is still under wraps, but it will feature a new set of characters and an evolved Screenlife thriller format where the story plays out on the screens of the characters’ devices. The original starred Cho as a dad who breaks into his daughter’s computer when she goes missing, in a desperate attempt to track her down.

The film is being produced by Natalie Qasabian, Aneesh Chaganty, Sev Ohanian of Search Party, Adam Sidman, and digital filmmaking guru Timur Bekmambetov who also produced the first movie. Jo Henriquez is executive producing and Congyu E is co-producing. Merrick and Johnson wrote the screenplay, based on a story by Sev Ohanian and Chaganty. The studio is aiming for a spring production start.

From the minds behind Searching comes Missing, a thrilling roller-coaster mystery that makes you wonder how well you know those closest to you. When her mother (Nia Long) disappears while on vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend, June’s (Storm Reid) search for answers is hindered by international red tape. Stuck thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, June creatively uses all the latest technology at her fingertips to try and find her before it’s too late. But as she digs deeper, her digital sleuthing raises more questions than answers...and when June unravels secrets about her mom, she discovers that she never really knew her at all.

Directed by: Will Merrick and Nick Johnson

Screenplay by: Will Merrick & Nick Johnson

Story by: Sev Ohanian & Aneesh Chaganty

Produced by:
Natalie Qasabian
Sev Ohanian
Aneesh Chaganty

Executive Producers:
Timur Bekmambetov
Adam Sidman
Jo Henriquez

Cast:
Storm Reid
Joaquim de Almeida
Ken Leung
Amy Landecker
with Daniel Henney
and Nia Long

I actually joke-pitched to Matt Reeves' producing partners (we are making a TV show with them) that I would love to do a short film that takes place entirely on the Bat Computer.

Like imagine your POV is Batman's as he navigates his computer to solve some kind of mystery. But then mid-way the Riddler starts a remote hack, and Batman has to do everything possible to combat that virus, etc. etc.