Move over, Cupid. Josh Ruben (Scare Me, Werewolves Within) is trading the bow and arrow for a much sharper instrument. The original Heart Eyes defied the box office gods, earning $33 million worldwide. Now, Screen Gems has decided that one Valentine’s Day massacre just wasn’t enough.
The script is finished, the knives are sharpened, and the romantic tension is about to get a lot more terminal.
The Dynamic Duo Returns?
Back in February, the rumor mill started churning when we heard Mason Gooding was in talks to return as Jay Simmonds. Now, Dread Central has confirmed that Olivia Holt is also in negotiations to reprise her role as Ally McCabe.
Since both characters managed to survive the first movie (no small feat when a glowing-eyed maniac is crashing your date night), it looks like their “happily ever after” is going to be interrupted by another action-packed nightmare.
The Vision: Bridget Jones with a Body Count
Ruben isn’t just looking to make another slasher; he’s looking to perform a genre autopsy. His pitch? Take the DNA of your favorite rom-coms and inject a lethal dose of psychopathic killer.
“You could replicate the structure of any great rom-com, from His Girl Friday to Defending Your Life, and you could drop Heart Eyes into the center of that story,” Ruben told Variety.
Quick Recap: Heart Eyes (The First Date)
For those who missed the first massacre, a masked maniac who surfaces every Valentine’s Day to punish couples for being, well, couples. A cynical ad exec (Holt) and her hopelessly romantic coworker (Gooding) get stuck in the crosshairs. However, instead of running upstairs and tripping over air, our leads actually fought back.
What’s Next?
Production could kick off as early as this summer. Ruben is a busy man, also prepping Wilderness Reform for Paramount, but it seems his heart (and his eyes) are firmly set on making Valentine’s Day scary again. And for that, we are grateful.
While we wait for more updates, it’s the perfect time to revisit 2025’s Heart Eyes, which is streaming now on Netflix, Prime Video, Fandango at Home, and Apple TV.
