John Krasinski reveals that the first two cuts ofA Quiet Placewere done without any sound at all. Much has been made of the very successful horror/thriller at this point, which wound up becoming a massive hit at the box office, as well as with critics, which could help it score some love from the Academy, with the Oscar nominations set to be revealed soon. Now, in a new interview, Krasinski, who directed, co-wrote and starred in the movie, reveals the initial editing process was done without any sound at all. Here’s what he had to say about it.
“On the first day or two [of post-production], I was going through different sounds with my editor to equalize it out, and I just said, ‘Hit mute.’ And we hit mute for what might have been five weeks. The first cut and the second cut were all done without one ounce of sound. I needed to be able to connect with these characters without anything else.”
A Quiet Placeuses sound in very unique and interesting ways to not only contribute to its scares, but to build its characters and their relationships to one another. When asked if the movie could work without any sound,John Krasinskisaid “one hundred percent.” while acknowledging that it does sound a little pretentious to say so. The filmmaker then revealed that he had his doubts about the commercial viability of the movie, given how unorthodox their approach was.
“Even on silent, there was so much communication happening. I didn’t think our movie would be so commercially accepted because the only other time I’ve seen someone do a movie with no spoken dialogue is Paul Thomas Anderson at the beginning ofThere Will Be Blood. That first 12 to 14 minutes where Daniel Day-Lewis doesn’t speak was a huge touchstone for me.”
Ultimately,audiences and critics alike wholly embraced A Quiet Place. The movie grossed $340 million worldwide and currently sits at a 95 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. As such, Paramount has given the green light toA Quiet Place sequel, which John Krasinski is currently writing. However, he may not return to direct, which he’s stated previously but reiterated in this new interview.
“I had this tiny idea that fit that world and could be exciting. Paramount asked if I would write it and I’m doing that now, but I’m still thinking about what I want to do next. If I can crack the idea, I would love to direct it again, and if I can’t, I would love to give it to someone else with my fingerprints on it to verify it’s being taken care of.”
The Oscar nominations are set to be revealed on January 22 and, at that time, it’s quite likely thatA Quiet Placewill be able to add Academy Award nominee to its growing list of accomplishments. As for the sequel? A Quiet Place 2 is dated for August 20, 2025. Whether or not John Krasinski winds up in the director’s chair again remains to be seen, but he’s at least going to be involved. This news was first reported byThe New York Times.
