For his directorial debut, Michael Sarnoski crafted an unexpectedly poignant story with Pig, a film about Nicolas Cage’s quest to recover his lost, cherished pig. Now, Sarnoski is embarking on a more ambitious project: A Quiet Place: Day One.
This prequel to John Krasinski’s acclaimed series about sound-sensitive alien invaders shifts the setting from small-town America to the bustling streets of New York City, capturing the chaos of the invasion’s first day.
Despite the potential for a high-octane monster thriller, Krasinski chose Sarnoski for his nuanced touch. “When [Krasinski] first brought me onto the project, his directive was, ‘Can you bring some of that Pig touch to the A Quiet Place universe?’,”
Sarnoski explains to Empire. “What he wanted was to see someone else play in the sandbox that he had created. Finding those differences was exciting. It wasn’t something that we leaned away from.”
While Krasinski’s films follow the Abbott family’s struggle to survive, Day One introduces new characters: Lupita Nyong’o’s Samira and Joseph Quinn’s Eric, who find themselves thrown together during the catastrophe.
This new dynamic promises to offer a fresh perspective. “In the first two, family was really important,” Sarnoski notes. “And with that comes characters that have an established relationship. I wanted to explore what the end of the world looked like for people that didn’t have an established relationship, or a reason to care about each other.”
With fresh characters, a new setting, and a different approach, Sarnoski’s latest venture is all about pushing boundaries. “It’s something I learned on Pig as well: don’t be scared of taking big swings and trying new things,” he says.
“I could have gone into this just terrified, but I decided to just be like, ‘I’m just gonna give it a shot, hope for the best, and be daring with stuff.’” What does this mean? He’s embracing the challenge head-on.