'Don't Breathe 2' sends Stephen Lang on a John Wick-type quest of revenge in visceral first trailer

Here's something they won't teach you in school: never get between a crusty old blind man and the person he loves most. The trailer for Don't Breathe 2 has dropped online, and it promises even more sensory-based thrills, courtesy of Stephen Lang's Norman Nordstrom. 

This time around, he's leaving the confines of his dilapidated home for a John Wick-esque mission of revenge to find the criminals who kidnapped his surrogate daughter, Phoenix (Madelyn Grace). The official synopsis hints that the villains are somehow connected to Norman's dark past.

Even in the outside world, where he's at a major disadvantage, the character is a total badass, relying on his other senses to take down baddies left and right without hesitation. Let's just hope he left his turkey baster in the basement where it belongs.

"The true protagonist of this movie is the girl. [Norman] is like a shadow character," Álvarez explained to SYFY WIRE this week. "He's the one that, because you start knowing more about him, you might not be sure if you know who he is going to play in this one. Or, if his actions are for good reasons, or bad reasons."

The sequel to Sony's 2016 sleeper hit (the first Don't Breathe made over $157 million against a budget of less than $10 million) was helmed by first-time director Rodo Sayagues — the usual writing and producing partner of Fede Álvarez. Álvarez, who directed and co-wrote the original film, returned as co-writer and producer for the follow-up. His fellow producers are Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert.

"Don’t Breathe 2 is really fascinating, I can’t wait for you to see it. You have no idea what’s coming," Álvarez told us earlier this year when we spoke to him about Calls on Apple TV+. "I just laugh while we make them. I just find it hilarious. My co-writer and I, everything that people find disturbing, we eventually find it hilarious. That’s why I’m laughing about Don’t Breathe 2 [and] what the reaction of the audience will be. As a sequel, it’s just quite different. It has everything you love about the first one, hopefully, but done with a completely different approach, storytelling-wise."

Lang is an executive producer alongside Nathan Kahane, Joe Drake, Erin Westerman, and Andrew Pfeffer, Rick Jacobson.

Don't Breathe 2 follows its heightened senses into theaters Friday, Aug. 13.