Five Nights at Freddy’s 3: Second Film Director Teases Chilling Plot Twists

Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is a legit box office hit and it ends on a pile of dangling threads. So of course the big question is: are we actually getting a third movie, and is the OG big bad coming back? Director Emma Tammi is already talking about it, and yes, she is absolutely pointing that way.

So... is a third movie happening?

Nothing is officially greenlit yet, but Tammi told Variety that she and franchise creator Scott Cawthon have been building toward a Part 3 from the jump — with William Afton right in the middle of it.

'We end Movie One with him being dragged off, and the idea was always that he would be teed up at the end of Movie Two for a third film, should we be fortunate enough to make one.'

Afton was in FNAF 2 — just not the way you might expect

If you caught the sequel, you did see Afton pop up — but through Vanessa's visions. Tammi says those moments are framed by Vanessa's trauma and PTSD from her history with him, not because he is suddenly back and stomping around. The final stretch of the sequel is designed to set up who or what Afton is becoming, especially since most of the characters assume he is dead. Tammi's take: that makes bringing him back in a third film the cleanest way to refocus the story around Afton.

That mid-credits tag? It is not random

Tammi also called out the mid-credits material as deliberate setup for Part 3. The tag picks up the Marionette thread and weaves it together with Henry — who, in this film, is more of a formal introduction than a deep dive — as he reaches out to Mike. The audio recording is meant as a teaser, a heads-up that Henry will matter a lot more if (when) they go forward.

• Plan from the start: Tammi and Cawthon mapped Afton's return for a possible third movie.
• Sequel sightings: Afton appears via Vanessa's memories and PTSD, not as an active presence.
• Endgame setup: FNAF 2's closing moments hint at what Afton is becoming while everyone thinks he is dead.
• Mid-credits tease: Marionette thread connects with Henry, who leaves a recording while reaching out to Mike.
• Where this is going: The sequel introduces Henry now, with the intention to dig deeper in a third film.

Big picture

Between the sequel's strong box office and all those carefully planted story seeds, the path to Five Nights at Freddy's 3 is sitting there with the lights on. No dates, no announcements — yet — but if you walked out of FNAF 2 wondering whether Afton is actually gone, the creative team is basically telling you: do not get comfortable.