Good Boy director already had some plans for a sequel

Ben Leonberg's Good Boy has joined this year's success list of horror films, and it's already looking ahead after making it's debut with glowing reviews. The film brings horror to a unique concept, having a dog at the center of a supposedly haunted house. Starring Shane Jensen, Arielle Friedman, Larry Fessenden, and Leonberg's real-life dog Indy, the film follows Indy and his owner Todd, who are haunted by a mysterious dark entity as Todd deals with an illness.

Luckily for fans, Leonberg already has thoughts for a sequel, which could address all the ambiguity in the ending of Good Boy. Speaking to ScreenRant, the director talked about how he already had plans for a sequel as he tells the outlet that he “had ideas for the sequel" even as they were making the film. Continuing, he adds,

"Some of the things that weren’t practical to make for several reasons, not just because Indy couldn’t do it, but ideas of what happens next to Indy’s character. Maybe even just a continuation with another dog, not necessarily in the Good Boy universe, but another familiar horror setting where a canine has to become a hero. That unique point of view is something I’d definitely be interested in.”

The film ends on a clean note, but leaves a few questions for the audience. Such as the entity's origins and identity and what happens to Indy after the film ends. A sequel could possibly explain Indy's future, while also putting the spotlight on a new canine hero, as the director says.

More details about Good Boy

The story follows Todd, a frail young man suffering from a chronic lung condition, who retreats to his late grandfather’s isolated woodland home with his dog, Indy. His sister Vera worries the place is cursed, and she might be right. The air feels thick with decay and memory. Indy quickly senses that they’re not alone, as shadows crawl through corners and a mud-drenched figure lingers just out of sight. When Todd’s health starts to fail and his behavior grows erratic, Indy becomes both witness and protector against an unseen terror that seems to hunger for the dying.

Good Boy was shot over 400 days in New Jersey, with the film;'s visual language being shaped by Indy's perspective, often keeping the camera low to the ground and the frame narrow. It also has no CGI tricks, and solely relies on raw emotion, eerie stillness and an animal's instincts.

After its world premiere at SXSW 2025, the film went on to play at the Overlook and Melbourne International Film Festivals before being acquired by Shudder and IFC. Released theatrically on October 3, 2025, the film has been praised for its stripped-down horror, meditative pacing, and the haunting simplicity of its final image: a loyal dog, waiting at the threshold of loss.