Don't Breathe 2 is a 2021 American horror thriller film directed by Rodo Sayagues in his directorial debut, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Fede Álvarez. The sequel to 2016's Don't Breathe, it was produced by Álvarez, Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert. The film stars Stephen Lang, reprising his role as Norman Nordstrom / "The Blind Man", with Brendan Sexton III and Madelyn Grace in supporting roles.
After the critical and commercial success of the first film, talks for a sequel began in November 2016, with Álvarez then set to return as the film's director. In January 2020, the project was green-lit by the studio, with Sayagues replacing Álvarez as director and Lang reprising his role. Principal photography began on August 7, 2020, in Belgrade, Serbia, and wrapped on October 8, 2020.
Don't Breathe 2 was theatrically released in the United States on August 13, 2021, by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film grossed $53 million worldwide, making it a moderate success, and received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for Lang's performance, but criticism for the screenplay. A third film is in development.
Plot
Eight years after the events of the first film, blind Navy SEAL veteran Norman Nordstrom lives with 11-year-old daughter, Phoenix and his Rottweiler, Shadow, in a Detroit suburb. Norman tells Phoenix that her birth mother died in a fire in their old house.
Hernandez, Norman's only connection with society and a veteran Army Ranger, convinces Norman to let Phoenix accompany her on an errand in town to have some time out of the house. A gangster named Raylan attempts to abduct Phoenix but is scared away by Shadow. His gang follows Hernandez's van back to Norman's where they wait for her to drop Phoenix off, then kill her when she leaves. They lure Shadow away and kill him off screen. When Norman goes outside to look for Shadow, the gang breaks in to kidnap Phoenix. A struggle ensues between Norman and the gang, and Raylan tells Phoenix that he is her real father, confirming it by showing they both have a streak of white hair.
It is revealed that Phoenix's house burned down after a meth lab explosion in the basement, and Raylan had been jailed for eight years. Norman found Phoenix unconscious in the wreckage and took her home to take the place of his dead daughter. Upon release, Raylan saw Phoenix alive when she left flowers at her mother's memorial. Phoenix is chloroformed by a henchman. Raylan sets his own dog to kill Norman, who traps the animal in the attic. The gang sets the house on fire and leaves with Phoenix. Norman befriends the dog as they escape together and it leads him to the gang's hotel hideout.
At the hotel, Raylan reveals Phoenix's real name is Tara and introduces her to her mother, who is alive but terminally ill. She explains that she triggered the explosion while cooking meth resulting in the poisoning of her internal organs. Tara's parents have abducted her in order to transplant her compatible organs for Tara's mother. Due to a lack of drugs and facilities, Tara will be conscious while her heart is removed. A power blackout prevents the procedure and Raylan's men are ambushed by Norman, who exploits the dark to pick them off one by one. Norman also kills the surgeon and a stray gunshot kills Tara's mother. Norman gouges out Raylan's eyes and leaves him for dead.
A badly wounded Norman confirms to Tara that her father was telling the truth. He confesses his crimes, including murder and rape, and tells her to flee to safety. Raylan appears and stabs Norman, only to be fatally stabbed by Tara. She attempts to help Norman, claiming she can save him, to which he replies she already has, before apparently succumbing to his wounds. Tara leaves and heads to a children's home she had seen earlier. She approaches a group of children playing and introduces herself as Phoenix.
In a mid-credits scene, Raylan's dog licks Norman's fingers which twitch slightly, indicating that he is alive.