Matthew Lillard‘s role in the first Five Nights at Freddy’s film was important but reasonably small — from posing as career counselor Steve Raglan to the reveal that he is actually the franchise’s Big Bad, William Afton A.K.A. Springtrap. While fans will continue to get sneak peeks at Afton’s deep, dark past as a child murderer in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, Lillard, 55, teases the deeper emotional territory and a “William Afton Vs. Mike” showdown will be more likely to happen in the third movie.
“It’s a little like Star Wars … You set up Darth Vader, and you set up Luke Skywalker, and at some point they collide,” he explains in an exclusive interview with MovieWeb. “Same thing with Harry Potter, Lord Voldemort. Eventually, they collide.”
“We’ve been hoping to make three films, and if this movie does well, Hollywood, being Hollywood, will go out and make the third film. That is where we really get to explore William Afton versus Mike, and that engagement will start to take place, but the depth of that relationship will really start to unfold more in the third film for this.”
As for what’s to come for Afton in the sequel, the Scream actor says he did get to do some “fun stuff” this time around, including shooting a “great sequence” that occurs between the villain and his police officer daughter, Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail).
“Most of that is action-based,” he adds. “So, there’s a lot to go yet in terms of telling that story in those relationships.”
How ‘FNAF’ Creator Scott Cawthon Listened to Fans When Making the Sequel
The film adaptation of Five Nights at Freddy’s was a highly-anticipated installment to the franchise, but hardcore fans had mixed reviews when it came to the execution. While the film clearly expanded on the extensive FNAF lore hinted at in the popular video game series, it didn’t have that tense feeling that fans came to know and love from playing the game itself. There was no frantic, repetitive checking of the security cameras to see if any of the animatronics were nearby, and there were very few — if any — jump scares in the movie that managed to match the energy of the moment when Freddy, Chica, Foxy, or Bonnie’s face suddenly bursts onto the screen with a terrifying screech and kills the player’s character.
When it comes to the sequel, Lillard told MovieWeb that after hearing that fans wanted the film to be scarier and to have more “elements that incorporated gameplay” in it, FNAF creator Scott Cawthon and director Emma Tammi “both listened, tuned in, and have built a movie that is much more akin to what you usually see in a horror movie.”
“More jump scares, more action … you start to move gently into a more roller-coaster ride of exciting set pieces. And so that’s the biggest thing that stood out to me, first reading the new script.”
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 premieres in theaters on Dec. 5.
- Release Date
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December 5, 2025
- Director
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Emma Tammi
- Writers
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Scott Cawthon
- Prequel(s)
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Five Nights at Freddy’s
- Franchise(s)
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Five Nights at Freddy’s
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
