Five Nights at Freddy’s 3, the next chapter in the film franchise based on the hit horror game, has enlisted acclaimed horror writer Gary Dauberman (It, Annabelle) to pen its script.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Dauberman has signed on to write the third instalment of Blumhouse Atomic Monster and Universal’s video game horror movie series, taking over the role from game creator Scott Cawthon, who co-wrote the first movie alongside Emma Tammi and penned the second. Despite not writing the film’s script this time around, Cawthon will remain as the sequel’s producer.
For now, it’s still unclear if stars Josh Hutcherson, Piper Rubio and Elizabeth Lail will be returning for Five Nights at Freddy’s 3, although it seems likely considering how the ending of 2025’s Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 left some plot threads unresolved.
The first movie, released in 2023, followed security guard Mike Schmidt (Hutcherson) as he began working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, only for the murderous animatronics to come to life at night. Its sequel expanded its scope, unleashing upgraded versions of the animatronics, dubbed the Toy Animatronics, on a nearby town. The films were massive earners at the box office, but were criticised for their plot, which is seemingly why the studio is tapping into someone with actual horror writing experience this time around.
Dauberman has penned multiple blockbuster horror hits over the years, including the 2017 film adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, It, its sequel, 2019’s It: Chapter Two, alongside multiple films in the Conjuring universe like Annabelle (2014), Annabelle: Creation (2017) and Annabelle Comes Home (2019), as well as The Nun (2018). Five Nights at Freddy’s won’t be the only video game-based film he has in the works, too, as he also has a story credit in Paramount Pictures’ upcoming Street Fighter film.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
HSALS
