News

A Quiet Place: Day One director Michael Sarnoski explains the decision to give the main character a pet cat. Sarnoski explains that cats are quiet hunters and would survive the A Quiet Place aliens better than a barking dog. Frodo the Cat is important to the movie both because he highlights the New York setting and motivates Sam's character arc.

The director of A Quiet Place: Day One has explained why a cat figures into the movie so centrally. The New York-set prequel movie is the third installment in the post-apocalyptic franchise, which sees the Earth besieged with sightless alien monsters who hunt via sound. Despite following the devastation of an entire city, the core A Quiet Place: Day One cast is relatively small, primarily focusing on Lupita Nyong'o as Sam, Joseph Quinn as Eric, and Nico & Schnitzel as Sam's pet Frodo the Cat.

Collider recently sat down with...

Frodo the cat was a scene stealer in A Quiet Place: Day One. Bringing the cat to life on the big screen required the use of two trained cats, but a faux third was used for the more dangerous scenes.

In an interview with CinemaBlend, director Michael Sarnoski explained how he didn't want to rely on a CGI cat, opting to go practical as much as possible. Two trained cats, named Nico and Schnitzel, were utilized for most of Frodo's scenes. Sarnoski commented on the training process for the cats and observed how Schnitzel in particular seemed particularly wise.

Related Lupita Nyong'o Says A Quiet Place Storyline Was 'Therapeutic' After Chadwick Boseman's Passing

Lupita Nyong'o's new film has a storyline that connected her to her late Black Panther co-star Chadwick Boseman.

"He seemed older than his years. He seemed very astute and sharp, but also kind of aloof in his own way.

Lupita Nyong'o has starred in many genres in her impressive career, even horror and superhero films. Her latest role in A Quiet Place: Day One has Nyong'o portraying a cancer patient, and the actress addressed how this was "therapeutic" after losing Black Panther co-star Chadwick Boseman to cancer.

Speaking to People, Lupita Nyong'o admitted that it was "scary to have to go there" and approach a role where the character "is really facing their mortality, even before this apocalypse takes place, and whose life is slipping between her fingers." Sam spends her last days in a hospice with her cat, Frodo, and she joins her colleagues on a trip to New York for the sole reason that she wanted to have pizza. She is soon caught in the apocalypse, and has to stay silent to avoid the alien creatures.

Related 'There's a Lot Coming Up': Black Panther Star Teases MCU...

Lupita Nyong'o overcame her lifelong fear of cats through her role in A Quiet Place: Day One. Nyong'o adopted an orange tabby cat named Yoyo after filming, highlighting her changed perspective on cats. A Quiet Place: Day One showcases Nyong'o's versatility and depth as an actress, further solidifying her as a talented industry figure.

In a heartwarming revelation, acclaimed actress Lupita Nyongo has shared how her latest movie, A Quiet Place: Day One helped her conquer her lifelong fear of cats. The talented performer, known for her collaborations with director Jordan Peele, credited the movie for transforming her perception of feline companions and even led her to bond with them in a life-altering way. The movie, which serves as both a spin-off and prequel to the successful A Quiet Place franchise, also stars Joseph Quinn and Alex Wolff.

Nyongo portrays Samira, a terminally ill character who finds solace in her cat,...

Your browser does not support the video tag. A Quiet Place: Day One features new characters, with Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, and Djimon Hounsou in the cast, but it's the feline actors Schnitzel and Nico, portraying Frodo, that have become a viral sensation. Alex Wolff praised the cats' performance and jokes with Djimon Hounsou about working with them. Wolff praised the commitment of his co-stars Lupita Nyong'o and Djimon Hounsou in the film.

Many people were surprised when they learned that the latest film in the Quiet Place franchise, A Quiet Place: Day One, would be following completely different characters from the ones we'd seen in the first two films. But as soon as people learned the great Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, and Djimon Hounsou were part of the cast, and then saw them in action, most fears were abated. But it's another pair of actors...

Lupita Nyong’o admits she was always afraid of cats, until an alien invasion changed her mind.

Nyong’o credits “A Quiet Place: Day One” for helping her overcome her felinophobia.

She plays Samira, accompanied by her cat, Frodo, as aliens invade Earth and take over New York City.

“I’ve been terrified of cats my entire life,” Nyong’o said in an interview last week with “CBS Mornings.”

“I wouldn’t be in a room with a cat, I would cry … I just found them suspicious, you know? They’re like little lions, and like, if they were any bigger, they would eat us.”

Nyong’o said she begged director Michael Sarnoski to consider a different animal for the part.

But instead, she tried exposure therapy, which involves releasing cats in her presence at her home. It worked.

Nyong’o now has an orange tabby cat named Yoyo.

In an Instagram post,...

In a surprising twist for the horror genre, the breakout star of “A Quiet Place: Day One” isn’t a terrifying alien or a human survivor, but a cat named Frodo. The latest installment in the hit franchise, directed by Michael Sarnoski, has garnered attention not only for its thrilling plot but also for its innovative use of live animal actors and the personal journey of its lead actress, Lupita Nyong’o.

Set on the day when sound-sensitive aliens invade Earth, the film follows Samira (Nyong’o) and her service cat, Frodo, as they navigate a suddenly silent and dangerous New York City. Sarnoski made the bold decision to use real cats instead of CGI, casting feline actors Schnitzel and Nico to portray Frodo.

“We managed to get through the whole movie without creating a CG cat, which was a big victory for us,” Sarnoski told Variety. This choice adds authenticity...

One of the stars of A Quiet Place: Day One is the scene-stealing cat, Frodo, portrayed by two trained kitties named Schnitzel and Nico. At the start of production, Lupita Nyong'o was very apprehensive about working with the cats, but by the end of it, she had to have a feline friend of her own.

In a Variety interview, director Michael Sarnoski addressed the inclusion of a cat in A Quiet Place: Day One. He touched on how it made sense for cats to do well in a world that requires silence for survival, given how they are naturally quiet. As a trained service animal, Frodo would be especially obedient, and Sarnoski suggested that cats would also pick up pretty quickly on the new way the world works, explaining why the meowing would go away.

Related A Quiet Place: Day One Director Was Hired Because of a Nicolas Cage...

This story contains Spoilers for A Quiet Place: Day One.

The John Krasinski-created horror franchise A Quiet Place has just added a sequel, A Quiet Place: Day One, to the series. With Michael Sarnoski at the helm, the prequel's reception is encouraging, and the director teases there might be more to the story.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Michael Sarnoski addressed almost exclusively one of the unique parts of the film: Frodo, the cat. The director explained his decision not to use any CGI for the cat scenes and praised the trainers for doing a good job training the two cats working on the film, Nico and Schnitzel, as well as where the characters end up at the end of A Quiet Place: Day One. At the same time, Sarnoski also gave a little tease about a sequel.

Related A Quiet Place: Day One Director...

Many of us have a fear that might be considered irrational to someone else, and for Lupita N’yongo, that fear was cats. When it came to starring in A Quiet Place: Day One, this proved to be a big problem as one of her co-stars was… well, a cat.

A Quiet Place: Day One centers on Sam (N’yongo), a young woman who finds herself stranded in New York City when the alien invasion begins. She’s accompanied by her cat Frodo and soon teams up with Eric (Joseph Quinn) to try to survive the invasion. Although N’yongo was keen to take part, the involvement of the cat almost made her consider turning the film down. “When I read the script, I loved the character, and I loved the story that Michael was telling with this film. It’s a very surprising tone that he’s added to this universe,...

Spoiler Warning: This story discusses plot points from “A Quiet Place: Day One,” now playing in theaters.

Audiences watching “A Quiet Place: Day One” might find themselves rooting for an unlikely hero: Frodo the cat.

That’s because director Michael Sarnoski wanted the black and white kitty to feel like a real character. “We managed to get through the whole movie without creating a CG cat, which was a big victory for us,” he declares, proudly. Instead, Frodo is played by two cats, Schnitzel and Nico.

“Day One,” the third outing of John Krasinski’s hit horror franchise takes viewers back to the day faceless alien beasts invaded New York City and subsequently the rest of the world. These creatures, known as Death Angels, have extremely sensitive hearing and attack at the slightest sound.

Frodo belongs to Samira (Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o) and is a service animal, who at first is kept on a leash.

[This story contains spoilers for A Quiet Place: Day One.]

A Quiet Place: Day One is a riveting thriller about a cat named Frodo navigating his way through an apocalyptic New York City that’s come under attack by aliens. There are also several human actors in the cast led by Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o (who is fantastic). But the purpose of today’s interview is to focus on the feline that’s stealing the hearts of the horror franchise’s fans.

Frodo represented a major gamble by writer-director Michael Sarnoski (who previously helmed another animal-centric title, Pig). Cats are notoriously difficult to direct, and Day One was Sarnoski’s first major studio project. His script (co-written with John Krasinski) puts Frodo in the center of intimate dramatic moments and action set-pieces — and he didn’t want to use CGI. But if the cat didn’t work, the movie wouldn’t work.

Sarnoski’s boldness paid off.

In 2018, A Quiet Place released in cinemas, helmed by director, writer and lead actor John Krasinski. It follows a family forced to live in silence, whilst hiding from alien creatures who hunt by sound. Releasing to great reviews and high praise for its uniqueness within the heavily saturated creature feature sub-genre, a franchise was spawned, with Krasinski going on to direct the sequel that was released in 2020. Now, we have our first spin-off – A Quiet Place: Day One, directed by Michael Sarnoski (Pig). As the title suggests, we follow the lead character Sam (Lupita Nyong’o) as she fights for survival in New York City during the early stages of the invasion. The cast also includes Joseph Quinn of Stranger Things fame, with Djimon Hounsou reprising his role as Henri. A Quiet Place: Day One not only lives up to expectations but exceeds them, delivering a tense, emotional thrill ride that...

There's an old saying in Hollywood: never work with children or animals. "A Quiet Place: Day One" star Lupita Nyong'o had her own, more specific rule: never work with cats. "I've been terrified of cats my entire life," the actress admitted in an interview on CBS Mornings. "Terrified. I wouldn't even be in a room with a cat." And even as a cat lover, I can't say that her reasons are entirely wrong: "I just found them suspicious. They're like little lions. If they were any bigger they would eat us."

This created a conflict when Nyong'o read the script for "Day One." The main character, Samira, is in New York City and carting around her pet cat, Frodo, when suddenly Earth is attacked by alien monsters. Frodo is very much one of the stars of the show, but Nyong'o begged director Michael Sarnoski to change Sam's pet to be any other animal.

This post contains spoilers for "A Quiet Place: Day One."

There aren't a lot of franchises, especially horror franchises, that can boast a third installment as incredible as "A Quiet Place: Day One." The prequel story, which focuses on the day aliens arrived on Earth and began taking out humanity by hunting via sound, is being considered by many to be the best of the series thus far, thanks to stunning performances by Lupita Nyong'o and Joseph Quinn (and two very sweet cats named Nico and Schnitzel), a gut-wrenching script, and the brilliant directorial vision of Michael Sarnoski. For those unfamiliar with Sarnoski's work, the director's debut feature "Pig" is Nicolas Cage's best-reviewed live-action film and a gorgeous, meditative drama about why we care about others. "A Quiet Place: Day One" is a massive jump from the low-budget intimacy of "Pig," but Sarnoski never loses sight of what makes a movie great.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for "A Quiet Place: Day One."

Thanks to the efforts of John Krasinski, the "A Quiet Place" franchise has managed to boast quite a formidable call sheet of A-listers and talented character actors alike. In addition to Krasinski in the first film, the cast included talents such as Emily Blunt (who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in "Oppenheimer" and, of course, is married to Krasinski in real life), the scene-stealing Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe to round out the nuclear family. The 2021 sequel added recent Best Actor-winning "Oppenheimer" star Cillian Murphy, Djimon Hounsou, and even Scoot McNairy. The prequel film "Day One," which /Film's Chris Evangelista pegged as the best of the series in his review, might have started from scratch with almost a whole new cast (one exception is that Hounsou reprises his role from "A Quiet Place Part II"), but writer/director...

Shhhhh, keep that trap shut! This article contains major spoilers for "A Quiet Place: Day One."

What do you do at the end of the world? For most people, like John Krasinski's Lee Abbott and his small family of survivors in the first "A Quiet Place," you simply internalize your grief and keep going as best you can. In its 2021 sequel, the promise of a miraculous safe haven on an island at least provides Emily Blunt's widowed Evelyn Abbott a semblance of hope for a fresh start in this strange and silent new status quo. For Lupita Nyong'o's terminally ill Samira in "A Quiet Place: Day One," thoughts of escape and survival simply don't mean as much to her. For her, grabbing one last slice of authentic New York pizza at a location full of happy childhood memories is the best outcome she could possibly find.

"A...

“A Quiet Place: Part One” had its New York City premiere on Wednesday, June 26 at AMC Lincoln Square. The third film in the franchise, this prequel sets the story that led to the John Krasinski and Emily Blunt-fronted apocalyptic thriller. Through Krasinski still serves as an executive producer, he stepped away from the camera to let a new director, Michael Sarnoski, tell his own story, along with a brand new cast that includes Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, and Alex Wolff.

Off the heels of “Stranger Things” and recently wrapping production on Alex Garland’s “Warfare,” intense scenes are nothing new to Joseph Quinn. “Every project provides its own challenges and its own obstacles that need to be overcome,” he tells IndieWire. “This one had a very specific set of things that needed be attacked and negotiated and money, the fact that we can’t talk. So that was a very interesting thing to do,...

“A Quiet Place: Day One” has three superlative stars at its disposal: Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, whose eyes alone can tell a thousand stories, and a pair of astonishing feline performers, who together craft a single performance as the world’s bravest movie cat. Filmmaker Michael Sarnoski, who first rose to indie acclaim for his “Pig,” knows his way around movies built on the emotional bond of man (woman) and beast (weird little furry guy), and he unexpectedly — and mostly satisfyingly — brings that knack to his first major Hollywood foray.

Taking on the third film in a massive horror franchise might not sound like the most appealing gig for filmmakers like Sarnoski — even as these types of gigs continue to be the “next step” for some of cinema’s brightest new stars — but the filmmaker manages to bring much of his sensibility and overall texture to the series. Part of...

The first two A Quiet Place movies proved to be big hits with critics, and despite focusing on a completely new group of characters, Paramount Pictures' prequel, Day One, is being hailed as the "best of the franchise" by several reviewers in the first social media reactions.

The full reviews may tell a slightly different story (early reactions generally tend to be much more positive), but this is a strong indication that audiences can expect more nail-biting tension when A Quiet Place: Day One arrives in theaters this weekend.

Have a read through the reactions below.

Loved A Quiet Place: Day One.

Thematically, if Part I and II are more akin to Alien — small, quiet moments of terror — Day One is closer to Aliens.

Big, loud and scary monster carnage.

Nyong’o gives a heartbreaking weight to her role — and the final shot will leave you Broken. pic.twitter.

A Quiet Place: Day One receives rave reviews before day one of its theatrical run. The anticipated prequel film gets encouraging critical feedback, with some calling it the best A Quiet Place franchise entry yet.

Several critics took to X to share their first reactions to Day One, the third entry in the A Quiet Place film series, set a year before the events of the first two John Krasinski-helmed movies. Comicbook.com's Brandon Davis admitted Day One lacked as much "apocalypse-falling carnage" as he expected. However, he insisted the prequel's "human story told here is both terrifying and beautiful," praising stars Lupita Nyong'o and Joseph Quinn while branding Nyong'o's cat in the film, Frodo, "a star." Collider critic Perri Nemiroff echoed similar sentiments, saying Day One deserves praise for "making the most of the franchises core concept and keeping the series character-first."

Related A Quiet Place: The Road...

There was a bit of a directorial hot potato on the latest film in the “Quiet Place” franchise universe before it landed in the hands of Michael Sarnoski. John Krasinski, who helmed the first two films, couldn’t take the spinoff “A Quiet Place: Day One” on due to scheduling conflicts; then, “The Bikeriders” director Jeff Nichols was set to write and direct the prequel. But Nichols had creative differences with studio Paramount Pictures, parting ways with the project in early 2022.

This musical chairs surrounding a bankable IP about bloodthirsty aliens among us with supersonic hearing finally brought Sarnoski into view. Krasinski (here on as a producer) had seen Sarnoski’s 2021 debut feature, the mystical revenge drama “Pig” starring Nicolas Cage as a truffle hunter with damage, and felt the young, Yale-trained filmmaker from Milwaukee was the man for the job.

An indie director coming in on a background of original movies of their own,...

Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn posed in front of the skyline at a photo call for A Quiet Place: Day One in London.

Nyong’o stunned in a pink suit holding a cat from the film, Schnitzel, and Quinn sported a fetching brown jacket.

The pair are starring in the upcoming horror film A Quiet Place: Day One, the prequel to A Quiet Place. In the movie, a woman (Nyong’o) faces an alien invasion of New York City.

Last October, the actress opened up about her breakup with Selema Masekela after their one-year relationship. She took to Instagram to say “deception” was the reason. However, she said that her focus is on those suffering in the world and not on her breakup.

“There are much more important things going on in the world right now, and my thoughts are with those who are deeply suffering,” she said.

Nyong’o...

Lupita Nyong’o radiated a female boss vibe as she kicked off the press tour for A Quiet Place: Day One in London on Wednesday. She was hard to ignore in her springtime pink suit, but her adorable plus one—a black-and-white feline—instantly captured my attention.

Lupita Nyong’o carrying her adorable furry accessory at the London photocall for A Quiet Place: Day One at the Iet Building on May 1, 2024 (Credit: Pa Images / INSTARimages)

The Early Stages of an Alien Invasion

Lupita is starring in the upcoming apocalyptic horror film A Quiet Place: Day One, a spin-off prequel and the third installment in the A Quiet Place film series based on the story by Emily Blunt’s husband, John Krasinski.

Day One, which takes place before the events of the original A Quiet Place movie, will feature new characters trying to survive the early phases of an alien invasion...