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Why Liv Tyler Didn't Return for "The Strangers: Prey at Night"

Published by: IsTamaraHome.net
Date Published: 4 December 2023

Bryan Bertino’s original script for The Strangers 2 featured a cameo appearance from Liv Tyler in the opening scene of the film. So why didn’t she return for The Strangers: Prey at Night?

When The Strangers released in 2008, it was an instant hit and the studio wanted to push out a sequel as soon as possible, and Bryan Bertino had a script ready to go which would’ve followed a family of four who were evicted from their home due to the declining economy and so they were forced to stay overnight in an abandoned trailer park where they would’ve become the next victims of the Strangers. Given Kristen’s (Liv Tyler) fate was left uncertain at the end of the film, Bertino made the opening scene of the film wrap up her story.

The film would’ve started with Kristen waking up from a nightmare where she would be recovering following the events of the first film in her father’s and step-mother’s house. During this time, the Strangers would’ve figured out where she was and finished off the job they didn’t finish in the first film. They arrive at the house, knock on the door and kill the step parents and then taunt Kristen over the phone. As she tries crawling out of the house, The Man in the Mask kills her with the axe and they drive off.

The studio was all set to make the sequel but then numerous forces came into play which delayed this process, beginning with Universal Pictures selling off their child company Rogue, which was the company that produced the original film. Slowly but surely new companies kept gaining the rights for the franchise and green light a sequel but then another issue arose and the rights would keep changing to different companies and every time this happened a sequel would be confirmed and then cancelled. Every time they confirmed a sequel, Laura Margolis confirmed they would get a call saying it was happening but then it wouldn’t.

Liv Tyler would’ve happily returned for a sequel and even had her own idea where Kristen would’ve recovered and gone on a “Kill Bill” style rampage as she tried tracking down The Strangers and killing them to avenge James’ death. She was even at one point asked by producer of the original film, Sonny Mallhi, if she wanted a chance to direct the sequel but she was not at a point in time where she was ready to direct. Liv however was aware of what Bertino’s plan for her character was and would’ve come back as a cameo however as time passed and the IP of the franchise repeatedly changed hands it got to a point where it would not have been believable to pickup the sequel moments after the first film.

When new screenwriter Ben Ketai was hired to rework Bryan’s original script, he kept most of the same plot details in but changed the opening scene of the film to reintroduced the Strangers by killing an elderly couple in the trailer park. As for Kristen, it can be assumed that she still exists somewhere in the Strangers universe.

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