After the first two movies were written by franchise creator Scott Cawthon, Five Nights at Freddy's 3 reportedly has new screenwriters

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After the first two movies were written by franchise creator Scott Cawthon, Five Nights at Freddy's 3 reportedly has new screenwriters News By Lauren Milici published 10 March 2026

Skeet Ulrich says new writers have been hired

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(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

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Henry Emily actor Skeet Ulrich says Five Nights at Freddy's 3 may have a new writing team.

"There's supposedly a lot of Henry Emily and William Afton," Ulrich told the audience at Monster Mania Con (via ScreenRant). "But to be honest, they're writing it now. They've just hired the writers, so they're... it's too early for me to say."

The first two films were directed by Emma Tammi from a screenplay penned by video game franchise creator Scott Cawthon. The first film, though a massive box-office success, received wildly negative reviews from critics and currently holds a 33% Rotten Tomatoes score (though it fared much better for the average moviegoer, as evidenced by the 86% audience rating). The second film, though another box office success, fared even worse with critics, this time earning a 16% (and just a slightly lower audience score of 83%).

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My guess is that Cawthon will still receive a writing credit on the film, but that the studio hopes a new writing team will propel the film into more of a critical success. I personally enjoy the fact that the film ignores all cinematic conventions and is just meant to be a horror movie for kiddos ages 12 and under.

Since the first film debuted in 2023, with the second following in 2025, we can expect a late 2027 release for the third (and what may be the final) installment.

Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is set to hit Peacock on April 3. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2026 and beyond, or, our check out the ever-growing list of upcoming video game movies.

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Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Lauren MiliciSocial Links NavigationSenior Entertainment Writer

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ based in New York City. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.

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