Eli Roth's Thanksgiving brings terror to Turkey Day in a brand-new slasher film, and a frightening sequel, fake trailer in Grindhouse, and it follows Robert Rodriguez's 2010 action film Machete and 2011's Hobo With a Shotgun, which starred Rutger Hauer in the title role. Much like Machete which has blossomed into a franchise of its own, a slasher movie like Thanksgiving has unlimited potential when it comes to sequels.

Thanksgiving 2 Latest News

Eli Roth Offers An Update On The Sequel

Thanksgiving 2 from director Eli Roth. The horror hitmaker spoke candidly about the development of the much-anticipated slasher sequel, revealing that the script is completed and filming will begin in March 2025. Roth also revealed a lot about the movie's budget, saying "We’re upping the ante, but we are not going to do it with more money." Considering the director's ability to stretch a lot of scares out of a small budget, that shouldn't be a difficult task. Continuing to hype up the next holiday horror, Roth also mentioned that he plans on making Thanksgiving 2 as if "I’m never going to make another movie again," hinting he'll try to top himself. Exactly how the sequel plans on outdoing its predecessor remains to be seen, as does a concrete production timeline and release schedule. However, shooting starting in March 2025 means a Thanksgiving release is entirely possible. Read Roth's full comments below:

We’re upping the ante but we are not going to do it with more money. That keeps it tight and lean and mean and forces us to make decisions. There’s a lot of setting up that we did in the first one that we don’t have to deal with now. It can just be all pay-off.

I’ve come up with stuff that is going to be a challenge . And I want it to be a challenge to pull off. Because if I’ve come up with the stuff that I think will make the best kills, then I’m going to do it like I’m never going to make another movie again.

Thanksgiving 2 Is Confirmed

Eli Roth's Holiday Horror Returns

Eli Roth announced that Thanksgiving 2 is on the way. While still urging fans to rush to theaters and take in the first movie, Roth revealed that a sequel had been given the green light. Roth also mentioned that he will be taking a year off to tweak the script, but assured fans that the movie is currently slated for a 2025 release, most likely around the Thanksgiving holiday. Since then, Roth has kept viewers abreast of the situation, and revealed in December 2024 that the script was completed. He also mentioned that shooting was scheduled to begin in March 2025, further cementing hopes of a Thanksgiving release.

Thanksgiving 2 Cast Details

Who Survived The First Movie?

Though nothing has been confirmed about the sequel's cast, many of the famous faces of Thanksgiving survived their harrowing ordeal with John Carver and could return. Nell Verlaque and Rick Hoffman seemingly confirmed their characters Jessica and Thomas would be back, and Eli Roth confirmed Addison Rae's Gaby will return too. Perhaps the most important return would be that of the masked villain John Carver, who was revealed to be Patrick Dempsey's Sheriff Eric Newlon. Since Carver/Newlon survived, he could come back to slay another day. A list of characters that survived Thanksgiving includes:

Actor	Thanksgiving Role
Patrick Dempsey	Sheriff Eric Newlon
Nell Verlaque	Jessica
Rick Hoffman	Thomas
Jalen Thomas Brooks	Bobby
Milo Manheim	Ryan
Gabriel Davenport	Scuba
Addison Rae	Gaby

Thanksgiving 2 Story Possibilities

John Carver's Return

Like many holiday horror movies, the story possibilities for Thanksgiving 2 are nearly endless. Slasher villains have a way of cropping up again and again, and the burgeoning fright icon John Carver could make like Jason Vorhees and become a repeat offender. The first movie's incendiary ending didn't necessarily exclude a sequel since, like most horror movie baddies, Carver appeared to survive in the end. Thanksgiving hacked its way through the majority of the ing cast, but many of the leads survived their harrowing ordeal. Recent comments from actors like Nell Verlaque suggest that the sequel will follow the same crop of characters from the first, and that the emphasis will be put on their growth and how they deal with such a traumatic event. Also, with Carver seemingly surviving his fiery ending, the slasher will likely be back in Thanksgiving 2.