Bird Box, one of the best horror thrillers of all time, has been available on Netflix for almost five years now. While there have been many compelling thrillers out there, Bird Box stands out with fright inching into every minute of the film, and the screenplay makes it even more impressive. It was a fantastic experience viewing Bird Box for the first time, and while rewatching is still worthwhile, it won’t be the same.
If you’ve enjoyed watching Bird Box, a new spin-off titled Bird Box Barcelona will be released on Netflix soon. The new film’s storyline takes place in Europe, specifically in Spain. Amidst the chaos of the apocalypse’s beginning, businessman Sebastian gathers his daughter Anna and tries to make their way across the barren streets of Barcelona. After forming an alliance with a few survivors, the father-daughter duo set out to find safety, but they face many obstacles along the road.
While Bird Box Barcelona is already one of the most anticipated films of the year, given its dependence on the original, the spin-off promises much more. With that in mind, here’s why fans of Bird Box should be excited to watch the new spin-off.
Bird Box, but With a Different Setting
In the first film, the enigmatic infection first spread in Europe, then into US regions, giving us a glimpse of what it was like to exist in this dreadful world. From that point, we follow the story of Malorie Hayes (Sandra Bullock) as she seeks refuge among strangers after encountering a few members of a group. After surviving this part and living gleefully for five years in an estranged house in the woods, she is forced to leave in search of a safe haven, which she does with the help of birds in the climax.
The premise of Bird Box Barcelona, in our opinion, is nearly identical to that of Bird Box. The concept is that “Sebastian and his daughter try to survive with the help of a group of strangers and try their luck in finding a safe haven.” With the exception of a different setting, the scenario is nearly identical; thus, despite feeling a little repetitive, these survival circumstances make Bird Box‘s concept all the more horrifying. It’s almost as if we’re seeing Bird Box again but with different characters. It will be fascinating to see what improvements will be made to the spin-off to make it more inventive and less predictable.
The Spin-Off Is Just One of Many
As many of us are aware, Bird Box is based on a novel of the same name by Josh Malerman, which was released in 2014 and quickly became a global sensation. After six years, the author created the novel’s sequel, “Malorie.” The sequel appears to take place two years after Malorie and her children arrive at the blind school, but they are soon forced to return outside after creatures break in and turn even the blind into insane people—implying that the creatures have evolved and can infect with only a touch.
While it may take a few years for Netflix to make a sequel to the original film, which is almost certainly already in their plans, the streaming service has announced a series of Bird Box spin-offs consisting of movies set in the same shared universe. While only the first spin-off, Bird Box Barcelona, has been disclosed thus far, we may expect others to be formally unveiled soon. This gives us even more cause to be excited about what the shared world has to offer and what narratives it will discover.
The New Spin-Off Can be Cannon
Except in rare cases, spin-offs are usually non-canon because they focus on distinct characters and do not follow the primary storyline. While it has been done before in anime series, we rarely see them connecting the spin-offs to the main premise, but this may change with Bird Box Barcelona. Given that the infection first spread throughout Europe, as stated in the Bird Box film, the spin-off will center on that.
Furthermore, the main character in this film hopes to locate a safe haven, and while they are unlikely to meet the people from Bird Box, anything may happen in a shared universe. With multiple spin-offs on the way, we may see them coming together to face the menace, dealing with these mysterious creatures to make the planet peaceful and terror-free once more. If these movies are to remain canon once they are released, it will make sense for them to be connected in some way, even though it’s highly unlikely.
Bird Box Barcelona stars Spanish actors Mario Casas, Georgina Campbell, Alejandra Howard, and others and is slated to be released by Netflix on July 14. Hopefully, Bird Box Barcelona becomes an instant hit as opposed to many Netflix failures, paving the way for future sequels and spin-offs.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
