Is ‘Insidious 2’ Merely A Ploy For Big Box Office?

New details have emerged regarding the follow-up to James Wan’s hit 2011 horror film “Insidious.” According to Cinema Blend, “Insidious: Chapter 2” will hit theaters on Aug. 30, 2013. Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne and Haley Bennett, who all appeared in the original film, will reprise their roles for the sequel. “Insidious” screenwriter Leigh Whannell will also be returning.

Screen Rant reports that the film is set to begin production in January 2013.

Made for a modest $1.5 million, “Insidious” became on of the most profitable films of the year last year after it earned an impressive $97 million at the box office. The film follows a couple determined to rescue their son after he becomes trapped in a satanic alternate dimension.

Since the film ends with a cliff-hanger, reports of a sequel have been surfacing for some time. Yet it may be argued that the sequel, which seems to have been green-lighted relatively quickly, is merely an attempt to capitalize on the success of the original during summer the blockbuster season.

According to the film’s producer James Blum, that’s not the case. In May 2011, Blum told Shock Til You Drop that no official plans for a sequel were in place and that the film would only move forward if the right story were developed.

“I wouldn’t say we’re not considering it. There’s no plan, no release date, nothing like that. I think James [Wan] feels the same as Oren [Peli]. Oren was very skeptical about doing a sequel to ‘Paranormal Activity’ until Michael [Perry] pitched an idea and it made sense. If Leigh [Whannell] comes up with a story that’s inventive and you feel like there’s a story to tell -- as opposed to ‘let’s make another movie and make money’ -- and he comes up with something James feels is worth making, we would do it. And if Leigh doesn’t, we won’t.”

Based on the relatively impressive box office take from recent low-budget horror films such as “The Possession” and “Sinister," it’s safe to predict that “Insidious: Chapter 2” will at least be a modest hit.

The film will hit theaters a month after the release of Wan’s eerie supernatural flick “The Conjuring.” Set in the 1970s, the film tells the true story of a family forced to consult a pair of paranormal investigators after they discover that their home is inhabited by evil spirits. Wilson appears in the film along with Ron Livingston, Vera Farmiga and Lili Taylor.