'Bird Box' Author’s New Book Will Focus on Netflix Thriller’s Monsters

The author of the novel that inspired the popular Netflix thriller Bird Box announced that his upcoming book will shine a light on the mysterious monsters that captivated audiences.

On Monday, author Josh Malerman sat down with Esquire magazine where he touched on the reception to the Bird Box movie as well as his 2014 book of the same name.

"The book came out in 2014, and this movie comes out and it erupts," Malerman told the publication. "So from my angle, it’s especially almost fantastical to see these characters I’ve been with since 2006 on the screen and in memes and on the cover of the book. It’s flattering, it’s an honor, it’s surreal."

The writer then went on to talk about his forthcoming book Malorie, which will be the second installment of the Bird Box series. Malerman said the movie inspired him to write the book that is set to hit shelves on Oct. 1, explaining that it will continue to follow the character played by Sandra Bullock.

"In the time between Bird Box coming out and the time since I’ve been writing Malorie," Malerman said, "I’ve been asked a ton of times: people want to know what happened with Boy and Girl. But as much as I care about Boy and Girl, this isn’t their story. The Bird Box world is Malorie’s story, and I wanted to know more about her... At the end of the movie, I turned to my girl Allison and said, “I want to know what happens next!” and she’s like, 'Well, you know, you could make that happen,' so it really was this warm feeling."

Although Boy and Girl will continue to be plot building characters, Malerman did hint that Malorie will answer some of the fans burning questions.

"Yeah, sort of. They’ve left there. Similar in that they’re trying to make things work. It’s not like it opens with them in paradise," Malerman said when explaining how Malorie will tie into the ending of its predecessor. This led the reporter to ask if he will provide readers with an origin story of the monsters Malorie is attempting to escape.

"I can’t say," Malerman responded. "I don’t want to give too much away... I will say this: we get to know both Malorie and the creatures better."

The possibility of learning to where these monsters stem from is exciting news for Bird Box fans. Since the movie premiered on Netflix in Dec. 2018, Bird Box has grown into a cultural phenomenon. The movie's plot inspired countless memes and blindfolded internet jokes. It also spawned several challenges that helped boost the film's popularity.