Until recently, M. Night Shyamalan was not known for making sequels to his films. The veteran director spent nearly twenty without making one, but now, his movies appear to be going in the opposite direction. Trap, in particular, sets up the narrative for a sequel or potential trilogy. The question is, will Shyamalan wait nineteen years before developing another chapter in the slasher saga?
In all likelihood, the Signs director will keep the momentum going. Sequels don't often do well after extended hiatuses between films, so it behooves him to make Trap 2 as soon as possible.
There's also the pop around his own daughter to consider. Saleka's music career is doing well on its own, but the singer obviously gained a boost from being featured in her father's movie. Many of the songs Saleka performed during the singing portion of Trap rank higher than some of her other tracks online, speaking to how the flick impacted her career for the better.
As her father, M. Night Shyamalan will likely do what he can to give Saleka another opportunity in front of the camera and to show off her musical prowess. She doesn't need the extra help, especially after Trap, but every bit of exposure is valuable to an artist. That means Trap 2 is likely on the horizon.
What audiences might expect is fairly obvious at this point. Since Cooper the Butcher (Josh Hartnett) escaped at the end, he'll presumably be on another violent tear when the sequel picks up. Or perhaps the deranged killer will take a second stab at Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan). He holds Raven responsible for getting him caught, just as much as he blames Rachel (Allison Pill) for leading authorities to him.
One scenario that might be appropriate is to imprison Lady Raven—in the same way that Cooper's last victim was. The mass murderer wanted to slice Raven up for her role in his capture, although it's more in line with the killer's nature to cause additional suffering. Thus, imprisonment is more apropos.
Having the clock wind down as Raven suffocates works in two ways as well. For one, trapping Raven in a room to die from carbon monoxide poisoning calls back to the modus operandum established in the first Trap. Cooper had various ways of torturing his victims, while his manner of trapping felt meticulous as if he'd done it before. With that in mind, he's probably going to do it again.
Secondly, a clock winding down to find Raven's location before she suffocates would be a perfect pairing alongside a simultaneous interrogation. Butcher is good at escaping but using his prisoner's life as a bargaining chip is on another level. He showed how manipulative— conniving he can be—so it wouldn't be farfetched to watch him talk arrogantly over two detectives as he demands his freedom. Someone like Lady Raven is considered a high-value target, meaning the authorities might give Cooper what he wants. Besides, it's not like their incarceration methods have worked too well.
Nothing is guaranteed at this point, but Shyamalan sounds optimistic. While speaking to The Playlist, he revealed that every hand in the building went up when asked if they wanted to see a sequel to the psychological thriller. Their seal of approval doesn't mean much. Of course, an entire screening room asking for more should suffice in convincing Shyamalan to develop Trap 2.
Trap is currently streaming on Netflix.