John Krasinski has ideas for A Quiet Place Part III, but realizes it's a 'sandbox' that will move on without him

After more than a year of waiting, A Quiet Place Part II will finally hit theaters this weekend after months of fresh anticipation and a wave of critical acclaim. It's been a long road to finally getting the horror sequel in front of audiences at all, but even with the long wait in mind, there are already thoughts about the future of the series floating out in the entertainment world. Director John Krasinski knows this, and he knows it so well that he even spent part of the production process on the sequel planning for it.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about his work on Part II, Krasinski was candid about his reservations when it came to doing even one sequel, noting that as an audience member himself he's always thinking things like "Don't blow it!" when it comes to watching follow-ups to movies he enjoyed. Still, even as he worked on the first film, Krasinski kept track of any stray ideas he had for a potential second installment, and after initially saying no to Paramount's sequel offer, he took those ideas and ran with them in a story that puts the focus even more on the Abbott children, particularly Regan (Millicent Simmonds).

With all that context in mind, Krasinski noted that he maintained the same habit while making Part II, keeping track of all the various follow-up ideas he had for a third installment, even if it wasn't something he would ever end up directing.

"So a lot of the things I had thought were interesting to think about on Part I ended up being in Part II. And then on Part II, I learned my lesson very quickly," Krasinski explained. "Any time I had ideas like that, I wrote them down in case there ever is a Part III or a third one. (Laughs.) So I would be able to reference some of these things if there is a Part III. And we even went so far as to put in a couple Easter eggs, so that if I did do a third one, they would connect back to the second one."

Months after Krasinski said those words to THR (because remember, he was mid-promotional cycle when the film's release was cancelled last year), Paramount Pictures announced that Take Shelter and Midnight Special director Jeff Nichols had signed on to make a Quiet Place spinoff film with Krasinski signed on as producer. In that context, it's especially interesting to read his thoughts on the future of the franchise without him in the director's chair. Even more than a year ago, preparing to roll out his sequel for the first time, the filmmaker knew he'd made a successful franchise that would eventually be out of his hands.

"Even though I’m the guy who did the first two, I won’t be the guy or girl who does the last one or the last two. I know that," he said. "At the end of the day, this world is really fun to explore. This is an amazing sandbox to play in, and whether or not I’m the guy to do any more of them or how many more of them, I don’t know. But I know that we’re really proud of the world we created. And the fact that it’s even strong enough to have this conversation about doing more is something we’re all really proud of."

A Quiet Place Part II hits theaters on Friday.