Summary

• Trap's ending leaves viewers desperate for a sequel, setting up Cooper's escape and leaving room for a continuation of the story.
• M. Night Shyamalan's comments hint at a potential Trap 2, with the director expressing a desire to revisit the characters and storyline.
• Trap 2's potential story could involve Cooper's daring escape after picking the lock on his handcuffs, leading to a cat-and-mouse game with the FBI.

M. Night Shyamalan's The ending of Trap directly sets up a sequel, and with the movie ending on a cliffhanger, I have to see a Trap 2 in order to know what happens next for Josh Hartnett's serial killer.

I was cautiously optimistic upon the release of Trap's first trailer, as many M. Night Shyamalan movies have turned out to be big disappointments before. However, the unique premise of a serial killer attempting to escape a concert combined with Trap being a new genre for Shyamalan made me decide to check the film out. I'm glad I did, as I found Trap to be a blast, despite it falling into the trappings of some of Shyamalan's previously flawed movies. The ending of Trap was easily the best part, with it setting up a sequel that could be even better.

Trap's Ending Sets Up Cooper's Escape For A Sequel

Showing How He Evades The FBI

I need Trap 2 to happen, as Cooper's escape at the end of Trap perfectly sets up a sequel. After managing to hold things together for a while, Cooper seems to finally be beaten when he is drugged by his wife. The FBI agents are then able to apprehend Josh Hartnett's Cooper, handcuffing him and placing him in the back of a police van. However, the end of the film reveals that Cooper managed to steal a spoke from a previously seen bike, with Trap cutting to credits right as he manages to pick the lock on his handcuffs.

The entirety of Trap's story is about Cooper attempting to escape, and since the killer is still managing to evade capture in the film's final shot, I believe that the story has to be continued in a sequel. Since M. Night Shyamalan set up Cooper breaking out of his handcuffs, it is doubtful that the FBI will simply overpower him again, meaning that the director has teased another potential story. I have to see what happens next, as the first Trap has gotten me immensely invested in the story of Cooper's escape, something that clearly isn't finished yet.

What Trap 2's Story Could Look Like

It Should Pick Up Immediately After The First Trap

Trap 2 has a lot of story potential after the ending of the first Trap, and here's what I think that Trap 2's story could look like. I think that the film should pick up right after Cooper picks the lock on his handcuffs. The killer is on a moving police van in an area crawling with FBI agents, meaning that it wouldn't be smart to show this daring escape off-screen. Cooper's escape in the aftermath of the Lady Raven incident would be an exciting opening action scene, kicking off the events of Trap 2 by putting Cooper back on the loose.

After Cooper's escape, the FBI is after him once again, with the added danger of now knowing what he looks like. Since Trap 2 is a sequel, however, the film also has to center around a major trap. A trap wouldn't be necessary in the immediate aftermath of Cooper's escape, meaning that Trap 2 needs to then cut to years later. Josh Hartnett's character has altered his appearance and gone into hiding, only for him to soon discover that another event that he has come to is a second trap set up by the FBI.

M. Night Shyamalan's Comments Give Me Hope Trap 2 Will Happen

He Didn't Confirm It Though

Although M. Night Shyamalan tends to stay away from sequels, the director's comments give me hope that Trap 2 will happen. When Shyamalan was asked about the chances of Trap 2, the director did not confirm or deny it, with him instead commenting on how surprised he was at how many people in test screenings wanted a sequel. Here are his full comments:

I’ll tell you two things. My answer to that: we screened this for an audience and they were so excited. And at the end, in a test screening, someone asked the audience, “How many of you wanna see a sequel of this? And every hand in the theater went up and I was hiding. And I saw it, and I was like, “Whoa.” So that’s one. And then two, okay, I finished this movie, three weeks ago, I went back to the office the next day and felt an absolute loss that I wasn’t going be with these characters again. I used to run to the editing room. I loved this movie and I wanted to be with this music and these characters and Cooper and Riley and Lady Raven, all of them. And so that was a strange feeling. They become a part of you when you’re making these characters. And, and it was such a joyful experience; we were laughing through it and, playing, and the audience can feel that. So, yeah…

Shyamalan also commented on how he missed the Trap characters, with this hinting that he might end up wanting to revisit this world. On top of that, Josh Hartnett has also said that he would love to work with Shyamalan, strengthening the chances of a sequel even further. Unbreakable got sequels in the form of Split and Glass due to fan demand, and if enough viewers ask for a Trap sequel, I believe that it could happen.