It’s never a bad time to be a fan of Lupita Nyong’o — an actor so powerful she won an Oscar for her feature debut in 2013’s 12 Years a Slave, and went on to appear in the Star Wars sequels and Marvel’s Black Panther films. But fans of Nyong’o’s horror work are getting a special treat today, since she’s just been named the star of A Quiet Place: Day One.
We’ve seen Nyong’o battle zombies (in Little Children) and, well, a creepy version of herself (in Jordan Peele’s Us — in a dual role that realllly should’ve earned her at least an Oscar nomination, if not her second statuette), but we’re especially excited to see what this expressive performer can do in a world where people have to remain as silent as possible. Deadline broke the news that she’s in final negotiations to star, and reminds us that A Quiet Place: Day One is a spinoff of John Krasinski’s blockbuster sci-fi series — not the third instalment in the main series, though that movie is also in the works — and will be directed by Michael Sarnoski (who made the startlingly good 2021 Nicolas Cage movie Pig), based on a Krasinski idea. Plot details are unknown, but that title strongly suggests it’ll be set on the day those vicious, hearing-sensitive aliens arrived on Earth.
A Quiet Place: Day One is due out March 8, 2024. Imminent Marvel smash hit Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, featuring Nyong’o as Nakia, is out November 11.
Want more Gizmodo news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.