A third installment in the creepy Smile horror franchise is moving forward, but it sounds like the series might be getting a new filmmaker at the helm. The unsettling supernatural series from Parker Finn became a surprise horror hit for Paramount, and now it looks like the studio wants to keep the nightmare going even if Finn doesn’t return to direct the next chapter.According to a report from Dread Central, Smile 3 is currently in development. The big question is whether Finn will come back to direct the third film after helming the first two entries. If the latest insider report is accurate, that might not happen.Industry insider Jeff Sneider recently pushed back on rumors suggesting Finn would return for the third movie. Sneider says he’s heard the filmmaker is unlikely to step behind the camera again for the next installment. Dread Central notes they’ve heard the same thing. Finn’s career has taken off in a big way since the success of the franchise, and he’s currently connected to several major projects, which could explain why he may not be available to direct another Smile film.The original Smile hit theaters in 2022 and followed a psychiatrist who begins experiencing terrifying and unexplainable events after witnessing a patient die by suicide. As the disturbing encounters escalate, she begins to believe a supernatural curse is following her. The film starred Sosie Bacon, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, and Caitlin Stasey, and it turned into a massive hit with audiences, pulling in around $217 million worldwide.That success led to the follow-up, Smile 2, which arrived in 2024. The sequel shifted its focus to a pop star preparing for a huge tour who suddenly finds herself dealing with the same terrifying curse. The movie starred Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Kyle Gallner. It earned roughly $138 million globally.While the sequel made less than the first movie, the $138 million haul was still a major win for Paramount. The franchise itself had already proven its drawing power after the first film exploded thanks to word of mouth and a clever marketing campaign. Interestingly, Smile was originally planned as a Paramount+ streaming release before extremely positive test screenings convinced the studio to give it a theatrical launch instead.With Smile 3 now reportedly moving forward, the franchise clearly still has life left in it. Even if Parker Finn doesn’t direct the next chapter, the real question becomes who will take over the cursed smile and continue building on the eerie world he created.Now, Parker Finn previously said he’s interested in returning for a third film, and he wants to continue to tell character stories. He also teased he sees a lot of storytelling opportunities for the franchise.“Well, I will say this, I think there are a lot of interesting roads that any future Smile could go down. For me, I love all the stuff that goes bump in the night, and all the really frightening things of the big concept of Smile and the Smiler.“But really, for me, Smile is a vehicle to tell really intense and hopefully thoughtful character stories, and so I’d wanna make sure, regardless of if more than one person might have it, that we still find a way to really invest intimacy into the storytelling. “That’s super important to me. But I think there are some really interesting tricks still up the sleeves of Smile.”One thing seems certain. That sinister grin probably isn’t going away anytime soon.