SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for the end of Drew Hancock’s Companion. If you have not yet seen the film, proceed at your own risk!
Sophie Thatcher’s Iris goes on quite the journey in Companion. When we first meet her, she is a robot programmed to follow the commands and whims of her owner/boyfriend (Jack Quaid’s Josh), but the crazy adventure at the lake house sees her gain not only complete independence but a whole lot of money. The movie has a happy-albeit-violent ending, with Iris killing Josh and driving off to a bright future… but what happens next? According to writer/director Drew Hancock, it’s nothing that would make material worthy of a sequel.
There is no tech uprising, and there isn’t even a political movement advocating for robot rights. It’s simply a life that is led as conflict-free as possible. As captured in the video up top, I asked Drew Hancock about his vision of Iris’ future during the pre-release press day for Companion in Los Angeles, and he explained why he doubts he will ever make a Companion 2. Said the filmmaker,
It would make a terrible sequel. My ideal… She goes off, she uses the $12 million to buy a farm, and then she just enjoys living on the land and making dinners for herself that she can’t eat, but she’s living this like kind of just passive life and enjoying the sunset and not getting involved in some kind of robot uprising. It’s more about her just living out an idealized human retirement experience.
I know it’s a totally worn out internet phrase, but I really do love that for Iris. She experiences some real horror during her relationship with Josh (who is revealed as a controlling, insecure, entitled, cruel asshole over the course of the film), and it shouldn’t be on her to change the world when she gains true independence. Perhaps she can leave that to the other Companion robot she sees on the road while driving at the end of the film, as she is going to have some serious questions about her existence after seeing her doppelgänger on the highway.
Also, Iris may very well have an ability that I’d say most of us lack: the capacity to be totally content. Being a robot, she doesn’t ever have to feel bored or anxious; she can live the same day every day and just be happy.
But is that a good movie? As Drew Hancock put it,
I don’t think Warner Bros. would be happy with that version of it, but that’s my sequel to Companion.
Also starring Harvey Guillen, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, and Rupert Friend in addition to the aforementioned Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid, Companion is still playing in theaters around the country following its big screen release at the end of January, but those of you who wish to watch the fantastic 2025 horror movie again in the comfort of your own homes will now find that the film is available to digitally rent and purchase from major online outlets including Amazon Prime Video, Fandango At Home and Apple.
