Matthew Lillard has returned to the big screen as William Afton in Five Nights at Freddy's 2, which premiered in theaters on December 5. Lillard, known for his role as Stu Macher in Scream, reprises his villainous role in the sequel to the 2023 horror hit.
Five Nights at Freddy's 2 picks up a year after the events of the first film. Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson), his younger sister Abby (Piper Rubio), and Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) are trying to return to a normal life. Abby reconnects with the animatronic characters Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy, setting off a chain of events that reveal the origins of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.
Lillard expressed enthusiasm for playing William Afton, despite the character not being heavily featured in this installment. He likened Afton to villains like Darth Vader and Voldemort, whose presence grows as their respective series progress. Lillard has signed a three-picture deal with the studio, indicating plans for future Five Nights at Freddy's films. "Don't hold your breath to seeing a lot of William Afton [in Five Nights at Freddy's 2]," Lillard said. "Like Star Wars or like Harry Potter, Voldemort or Darth Vader, they both sort of show up later in the series. So, unfortunately for me, I don't have a huge part in it. I do think the stuff I get to do is fantastic. I love it. Our hope is that we get to do three films. That's always been the plan. Everything is dependent on how the movie does in theaters".
Directed by Emma Tammi, who also directed the first film, Five Nights at Freddy's 2 aims to be darker and scarier than its predecessor. According to Tammi, Lillard even thought the film was scary enough to receive an R rating. However, the director wanted to keep the film accessible to younger audiences, maintaining a PG-13 rating. Tammi noted, "I think the audiences that maybe wanted the first one to go to scarier places will be really satisfied,". "We wanted to be inclusive of the younger audiences, and at the same time, we don't want to limit how dark and scary it can feel for the older audiences".
The sequel sees the return of cast members Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, and Piper Rubio. New additions to the cast include Wayne Knight, Mckenna Grace, and Skeet Ulrich. Megan Fox, Kellen Goff, and Matthew Patrick lend their voices to the animatronic characters Toy Chica, Toy Freddy, and Toy Bonnie, respectively.
Five Nights at Freddy's 2 premiered at the TCL Chinese Theater on December 2, 2025.
While some critics have praised the sequel for being a more entertaining and scarier improvement over the original, others have criticized it as a convoluted mess. Some critics say the film has too much lore and not enough good storytelling.
Box office projections estimate the film will gross between $35 million and $40 million during its opening weekend, which is less than half of what the first film earned during its debut. The original Five Nights at Freddy's grossed nearly $300 million worldwide, becoming Blumhouse's highest-grossing film.
