Does Bird Box Barcelona serve as a sequel? The connection to Sandra Bullock's 2018 film is clarified.

Bird Box Barcelona is the next entry in the Netflix horror franchise, but is it a direct sequel to the Sandra Bullock-starring original?

Bird Box Barcelona is the second entry in the Netflix horror series, but is it a direct sequel to the surprise Sandra Bullock hit from 2018? Bird Box was part of a run of horror movies from the late 2010s that revolved around the senses. A Quiet Place saw its main characters forced to stay quiet to protect themselves from alien predators that hunt by sound, while Netflix’s Hush involved a deaf protagonist being stalked by a serial killer.

Bird Box founds its lead characters being forced to don blindfolds to stay safe from creatures that can induce suicide if seen. While the original Bird Box received some mediocre reviews, it was an undeniable smash for the streamer that also inspired the (thankfully) short-lived Bird Box blindfold challenge. Bird Box’s ending saw Bullock’s character and her children reaching a place of relative safety, but the upcoming Bird Box Barcelona is taking the franchise in a new direction.

ird Box Barcelona Is Not A Direct Sequel To The 2018 Movie

In a move that shouldn’t be a huge surprise, Bird Box Barcelona isn’t a direct sequel to the original. While efforts were no doubt made behind the scenes to motivate Bullock to return, the actor has stated a distaste for follow-ups, having suffered through notorious bomb Speed 2: Cruise Control and the poorly-received Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous. Since then, Bullock has walked away from planned sequels like The Heat 2, so expecting her to return for a direct Bird Box sequel was always a long shot.

Bird Box Barcelona Is A Spanish Spinoff To Sandra Bullock’s Movie

Instead, Bird Box Barcelona is a spinoff with no direct ties to the original Sandra Bullock horror movie. The next entry follows a group of survivors in Barcelona after much of the world has fallen prey to the creatures. Bird Box Barcelona follows a father and daughter (played by Mario Casas and Alejandra Howard) as they team up with other survivors and try to find a safe place. Besides the creatures, they also have to avoid a cult that is hunting survivors and forcing them to look at mysterious entities.

Bird Box Barcelona sounds like a better direction to move in than a direct sequel. It felt like the story of Bullock’s Malorie ended with the first film, and a spinoff can explore the wider impact these beings have had on the world. More than that, if the next outing is a success, there can be further offshoots set in other countries that explore the outbreak from different cultural perspectives. There’s always a chance Bird Box Barcelona could include some kind of direct reference to the original, but audiences shouldn’t expect a surprise Sandra Bullock cameo either.