Nearly three decades since their collaboration in The Faculty, Elijah Wood and Shawn Hatosy are teaming up again for the sequel Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. Currently, Wood has been sharing his thoughts on the 1998 movie while at SXSW.
The Faculty tells the story of high school students dealing with their teachers who are under alien control. Although it received mixed reviews and didn’t perform spectacularly at the box office, the science fiction movie eventually gained a cult following.
During an interview with ScreenRant‘s Ash Crossan in the SXSW media suite for Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, Wood reminisced about his experiences on The Faculty, noting it was his first encounter with Austin, Texas, where some scenes were filmed. He expressed his enjoyment of the filming process and appreciated the opportunity to work under director Robert Rodriguez, calling it a “wonderful experience.”
Wood described the film’s production atmosphere as enjoyable and akin to “a summer camp,” adding, “It was just a lot of fun for all of us.“
Elijah Wood: I have very fond memories. The Faculty was my introduction to Austin. I had never visited Austin before. I first went to the Alamo Drafthouse during that film’s production, back when it was just one location downtown. The filming experience was fantastic, and I really liked the movie. Working with Robert was a pleasure, and the cast was amazing. It really felt like summer camp. The energy during filming was just like summer camp for us. It was a total blast.
Sarah Michelle Gellar commented that if The Faculty felt like summer camp, then Ready or Not’s sequel, in which she appears, resembled “a college frat week,” a comparison that Wood agreed with.
Sarah Michelle Gellar: It’s funny, if that was like summer camp, then this movie was more like a college frat week.
Elijah Wood: Absolutely.
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come co-director Tyler Gillett mentioned how enjoyable it was to see Wood and Hatosy reunite on screen, to which Wood responded, “It was great for us too.”
Tyler Gillett: Seeing you two back together was really fun.
Elijah Wood: It was fun for us too.
Regarding the casting for the new thriller, directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett revealed they had hoped to cast Jon Stewart, another Faculty co-star, but he was unavailable.
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin: We tried to get Jon Stewart as well.
Tyler Gillett: He was unavailable.
Kathryn Newton, portraying Faith MacCaullay, admitted to Ash that she has yet to watch The Faculty, although she has seen parts of it on her phone.
She explained, “I’ve seen various clips and images of Shawn and Elijah in this film on my phone. I even shared them with the cast, saying, ‘Look, they were in a movie together once,’ and they were like, ‘Yeah, Kathryn, we know.’“
Kathryn Newton: I still haven’t seen it, but when Elijah and Shawn [Hatosy] showed up on set. Listen, just hear me out. I know I haven’t seen it, OK, I will. I’ve seen most of it on my phone. My phone knew that you were there, and I just got all these pictures of Sean and Elijah in this movie. I sent it to them. I was like, “Hey, look, they were a movie once.” And they’re like, “Yeah, Kathryn, we know.”
The film also features stars such as Samara Weaving, David Cronenberg, Néstor Carbonell, Kevin Durand, Olivia Cheng, Varun Saranga, Nadeem Umar-Khitab, Juan Pablo Romero, Maia Jae, Daniel Beirne, and Antony Hall.
Following the success of the original Ready or Not, which saw Weaving’s character, Grace, survive a deadly game of hide and seek on her wedding night, the sequel introduces a new game where Grace must protect herself and her sister from affluent families targeting them.
The original Ready or Not was a box office hit, earning $57.6 million on a $6 million budget. Directed by Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett, it holds a Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critic and audience scores of 89% and 78%, respectively. Early reviews for Ready or Not 2: Here I Come are also overwhelmingly positive, currently holding an 83% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is scheduled for theatrical release on Friday, March 20, 2026.
Ava Thornton is an entertainment journalist with a keen eye for the latest in Hollywood, indie films, and streaming trends.
Her work blends insider knowledge with a deep appreciation for storytelling.
