Don’t Worry Darling Set Up The Perfect Sequel (Without Florence Pugh)

Don't Worry Darling set up the perfect sequel to Olivia Wilde's movie that doesn't need Florence Pugh. But will Don't Worry Darling 2 happen?

Summary

• Don't Worry Darling sequel could focus on the fate of Florence Pugh's Alice or explore KiKi Layne's character after exiting the simulation.
• Florence Pugh's return for a sequel seems unlikely due to controversies and her busy schedule, making a focus on a different character necessary.
• The odds of a Don't Worry Darling sequel happening are low due to negative reviews and modest box office performance, but it could find success on HBO Max.

Though the possibility of a Don't Worry Darling follow-up is questionable, the movie does set up a sequel which does not need to involve star Florence Pugh. The simulation story left many questions about what happened in the Victory Project and what comes next. This includes the somewhat ambiguous nature of Don't Worry Darling's ending, which leaves the fate of Florence Pugh's Alice unclear after freeing herself from the simulation. That could be the story that a Don't Worry Darling sequel follows, but the movie also presented a different, albeit similar, focus for a potential second installment.

While Don't Worry Darling focuses primarily on Alice realizing that the Victory Project is fake, she is not the first person to come to this conclusion. KiKi Layne's Margaret plays a pivotal role in the movie and is questioning the reality of life before Alice. However, the movie does not reveal what happens to her after she dies in the simulation. This is the perfect setup for Don't Worry Darling's sequel, as it could follow what happens to her after exiting the Victory Project. KiKi Layne also said most of her scenes were cut from the first movie, so the sequel could also go back and show more of her experience in the simulation.

Don’t Worry Darling’s Controversies Prevent Florence Pugh’s Return

There is little doubt that the movie's controversies would keep Florence Pugh from returning in any potential Don't Worry Darling sequel or spinoff. There were multiple reports of a feud between Florence Pugh and Olivia Wilde that began during filming and continued all the way through the movie's release. Those involved with the movie attempted to downplay any notion of this feud being real, but rumors persisted that Olivia Wilde and Harry Style's romance created the divide. Others suggest that it was tied to Wilde's behavior in general. The Don't Worry Darling star noticeably did little promotion for the movie.

Related

Don't Worry Darling's Biggest Unanswered Questions & Mysteries

Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling explores a huge mystery around Florence Pugh's Alice, but it leaves many unanswered questions and mysteries.

Even if the truth of the Don't Worry Darling controversies and the root of the feud may never come to light, Florence Pugh's return for Don't Worry Darling 2 seems unlikely. Pugh is incredibly busy with her roles in various other franchises and standalone independent films. A Don't Worry Darling sequel would be difficult to fit into her schedule even if she had any desire to work with Olivia Wilde again. This is why any potential follow-up will need to focus on a different character than Alice, such as KiKi Layne's Margaret.

Will Don’t Worry Darling 2 Happen?

There might be room for a Don't Worry Darling sequel within the movie's mythology, but the odds are not in the movie's favor of becoming a franchise. Don't Worry Darling received negative reviews, but it also only made $86 million worldwide. Based on the reported $35M budget, Don't Worry Darling likely barely made any profit for Warner Bros. The best chance for Don't Worry Darling 2 to happen is that it becomes a big hit on HBO Max, allowing the sequel to be made exclusively for the streaming service. However, audiences should not be expecting to see a Don't Worry Darling sequel anytime soon.

Would The Original Don't Worry Darling Ending Have Set Up Another Sequel?

While the theatrical version leaves the possibility of a Don’t Worry Darling sequel, the Don’t Worry Darling original ending left the door open for more in a different way. The original script for the movie has a similar concept but very different in the details, including the fact that Jack and Alice are named Clifford and Evelyn. Evelyn is trapped in a virtual reality after being abducted by Clifford which she realizes when she accidentally stumbles upon a portal that serves as an exit into the real world.

The Don’t Worry Darling original ending comes after Evelyn makes several attempts to escape through the portals and eventually kills Clifford. She finds herself in a hospital where doctors are telling her she has had a mental breakdown and concocted the whole idea that she is in a virtual reality. Just as she is beginning to believe that she imagined the whole thing, she is visited by her neighbor who whispers that there is a portal behind the next door. The script ends with uncertainty if Evelyn imagined everything or if she still has a chance to escape.

Much like the theatrical ending of Don’t Worry Darling, the original script ended things with a lot of questions still hanging in the air. However, the original ending made things ambiguous in a very different way, as the audience is not quite sure what is reality. The ending continues to play that mind game as the audience may be following Evelyn’s own journey of questioning her sanity only to be presented with one last suggestion that none of this is real. Despite the open-ended conclusion, a sequel would have to answer that question definitively and thus ruin the mystery of the original script.