Octavia Spencer is returning for Ma 2
'Ma 2' is in development with Octavia Spencer returning to the title role.
The 55-year-old actress has been announced for the upcoming sequel, which will see her reprise her role as the eponymous killer from the original 2019 thriller.
Blumhouse Productions founder and CEO Jason Blum has confirmed plans for the follow-up, and heaped praise on her "iconic performance" in the first film.
He said in a statement: "‘Ma’ has proven to be a social phenomenon since its release in 2019, with fans eagerly embracing the film and Octavia’s iconic performance as Ma.
"Ma likes to say ‘don’t make me drink alone,’ so we’re thrilled Octavia will join us again for a second round.”
As of yet, development on the project is in its early stages, with no release date set or director attached.
In the 2019 movie - which was helmed by 'The Help' director Tate Taylor - a group of high school students struck up an unlikely friend with Octavia's Sue Ann Ellington.
The lonely veterinarian - with a wild party animal streak - let the teens party in her basement, but their intergenerational friendship soon took a sinister and violent twist when their bond started to cool off.
Taylor previously revealed he was keen to continue his longstanding film partnership with his friend Spencer, and back in 2021 there were already talks for a sequel.
He told Entertainment Weekly: "Can you believe how much 'Ma' lives on? Isn't that just crazy?
"I don't think we thought 'Ma' was going to have this afterlife as this cult thing, and I think it's worth discussing [a sequel].
"I know Octavia would do it, that's why I purposely left her death ambiguous!"
Although Ma's death is implied, it's never shown on screen, and Taylor had already given plenty of thought to how she could return.
He said: "My idea is that she's moved to another town, and she has open houses in another city and kills people in the open house.
"I think she'd be a real estate agent in the Pacific Northwest, and just murder white people looking at McMansions. That's as far as I've gotten!"
Meanwhile, Spencer - who has been friends with the filmmaker for around 30 years - previously opened up about the "mutual trust" they share.
She told website 'Hey U Guys': "Tate and I met as PAs in Mississippi on 'A Time To Kill'. When we moved out here we became roommates but I worked on everything, all of his short films.
"The only film I didn't work on with him was 'A Girl On The Train'. So we've worked together a lot more than people know.
"When you have someone who has your best interest at heart and its mutual we trust each other, he trusts me as an actor, I trust him as a director and writer. I feel fortunate that I get to have that type of work collaboration."
