The 5th Wave ended on a cliffhanger that left fans waiting for a sequel that never arrived. The 2016 film set up a continuation, but Sony never greenlit a second movie—even though Rick Yancey’s book series includes two more novels that finish the story.
This guide covers why The 5th Wave 2 was never made, what happens in the book sequels, and whether a movie continuation could still happen.
Is There a Sequel to The 5th Wave Movie
No, there is no sequel to The 5th Wave movie. The 2016 film starring Chloë Grace Moretz ended on a cliffhanger, but Sony never produced a follow-up. While the movie clearly set up a continuation, a second installment never moved forward.
Here’s where the confusion often comes in. The book series does have two sequels—The Infinite Sea and The Last Star—so the story itself continues and reaches a conclusion. The film adaptation, however, stopped after one movie. If you’re looking for “The 5th Wave 2,” you’ll find the book sequel exists, but a movie sequel does not.
Why The 5th Wave 2 Was Never Made
A few different factors worked against a second film. Looking at each one helps explain why a franchise with sequel potential quietly disappeared.
Box office performance and critical reception
The 5th Wave earned around $109 million worldwide against a reported $38 million production budget. On paper, that looks profitable—similar to how Dirty Grandpa earned $105 million on a $25 million budget yet never got a sequel either. In practice, marketing costs typically push a film’s break-even point much higher—often double the production budget or more.
Critical reception didn’t help either. The film landed at 16% on Rotten Tomatoes, and audience response was mixed. Studios consider both financial returns and reviews when greenlighting sequels, and The 5th Wave came up short on both counts.
Shifting YA franchise trends
Timing worked against the film in a significant way. By 2016, the young adult dystopian wave that produced The Hunger Games and Divergent was losing steam. The Divergent series had stumbled with its third installment, and studios were pulling back from multi-film YA commitments.
The 5th Wave arrived at the tail end of this trend rather than its peak. A few years earlier, the same movie might have gotten a sequel greenlit almost automatically. By 2016, the appetite for this type of franchise had cooled considerably.
Cast and production factors
After the first film wrapped, cast members moved on. Chloë Grace Moretz continued building her career with other projects, and no official sequel announcements ever came from Sony. Without active development momentum, the project faded from the studio’s slate. Sometimes franchises simply lose their window—much like Santa Clarita Diet, which was also cancelled on a major cliffhanger—and that appears to be what happened here.
The 5th Wave Book Trilogy Explained
Rick Yancey wrote a complete three-book series, so readers who want to know what happens after the movie ends can find full resolution in the novels. The trilogy tells one continuous story across all three books.
| Book | Title | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The 5th Wave | Cassie’s survival and search for her brother |
| 2 | The Infinite Sea | Survivors regroup; Ringer’s perspective emerges |
| 3 | The Last Star | Final confrontation with the alien invaders |
The 5th Wave
The first novel introduces an alien invasion that unfolds through a series of attacks called “waves.” Each wave eliminates more of humanity in a different way.
- First wave: An EMP knocks out all electronics worldwide
- Second wave: Tsunamis destroy coastal cities
- Third wave: A modified plague kills billions
- Fourth wave: “Silencers”—alien snipers—hunt remaining survivors
- Fifth wave: Aliens inhabit human bodies, making trust impossible
Cassie Sullivan narrates much of the story while searching for her younger brother Sammy, who was taken to a military camp. Along the way, she meets Evan Walker, a mysterious figure whose true nature becomes one of the book’s central questions.
The Infinite Sea
The second book picks up right where the first one ends. Cassie, Ben Parish, Ringer, and other survivors hide in an abandoned hotel while figuring out their next move. The narrative expands here to include Ringer’s perspective, which reveals new information about the alien threat.
This is the direct sequel that continues everything the movie left hanging. Readers who finished the film and want answers will find them in The Infinite Sea.
The Last Star
The trilogy’s conclusion brings all the character arcs to their endpoints. The survivors face the aliens’ final plans and confront impossible choices about sacrifice and what survival actually costs. Yancey provides definitive answers to the mysteries he established in the earlier books, though the ending has divided readers—some find it satisfying, others wanted something different.
What Happens in The Infinite Sea
The second book shifts focus while keeping the survival tension from the first. Without giving away major plot points, here’s what unfolds:
- Regrouping under pressure: The survivors hide in an abandoned hotel, but safety proves temporary as threats approach from multiple directions
- Ringer’s mission: She leaves the group to gather intelligence and undergoes a transformation that changes her role in the larger conflict
- Evan’s fate: His survival after the first book’s explosive ending becomes a central mystery—a cliffhanger that drives much of the plot
- New revelations: The true nature and goals of the alien invasion become clearer, raising the stakes heading into the final book
The Infinite Sea runs shorter than the first novel but covers significant ground in terms of character development and plot advancement.
What Happens in The Last Star
The trilogy’s finale brings the conflict to its conclusion. Without spoiling specific plot points, the book addresses the fundamental question of whether humanity can survive when the enemy can wear human faces and infiltrate any group.
Character relationships that developed across the previous books reach their endpoints here. Some arcs end tragically, others hopefully. Yancey doesn’t take an easy route with his conclusion—he makes choices that feel earned even when they’re painful. The book provides genuine closure to the story the movie never got to finish.
Did Evan Survive The 5th Wave
This question drives a lot of searches for sequel information, and understandably so. In both the book and the movie, Evan Walker’s fate looks uncertain after an explosion at the military base. The ambiguity was intentional—a cliffhanger designed to bring readers back for the sequel.
The answer is yes, Evan survives. The Infinite Sea confirms this early on and continues his story. His relationship with Cassie and his conflicted identity as both human and “Other” remain central throughout the remaining books. Readers who connected with his character will find his arc continues meaningfully all the way through the trilogy’s end.
Will There Ever Be a 5th Wave 2 Movie
Fan interest in a sequel has persisted for years. While nothing is officially in development, the entertainment landscape has changed in ways that could theoretically revive the property.
Streaming reboot possibilities
Streaming platforms have brought back dormant franchises before. Percy Jackson found new life as a Disney+ series after disappointing film adaptations, and shows like The OA have maintained vocal fanbases pushing for continuation after cliffhanger cancellations. A similar approach could work for The 5th Wave—a series format might actually suit the multi-perspective narrative better than a two-hour film ever could.
That said, no announcements have been made. This remains speculation rather than anything confirmed.
Author and cast comments on future films
Rick Yancey has expressed openness to seeing his remaining books adapted but hasn’t indicated any active discussions with studios. Chloë Grace Moretz has moved on to other projects and hasn’t publicly pushed for a sequel. The general silence from everyone involved suggests nothing is happening behind the scenes right now.
How The 5th Wave Movie Compares to the Book
Readers curious about differences between the film and the source material will notice several variations:
- Narrative structure: The book alternates between Cassie’s and Ben’s perspectives, creating dramatic irony that the film partially flattens into a more linear story
- Pacing: The movie condenses events significantly, which means some character development gets lost along the way
- Internal monologue: Cassie’s thoughts and fears come through more vividly on the page than they do on screen
- Ending point: The film stops at a natural pause, but substantial story remains unadapted in the sequels
The movie captures the premise effectively but represents roughly half to two-thirds of the first book’s content. Readers who enjoyed the film typically find the book offers a richer, more detailed experience.
Where to Watch or Read The 5th Wave Series Now
For anyone wanting to experience the story, a few options exist depending on format preference:
- Streaming the movie: The 5th Wave rotates between platforms; checking a service like JustWatch shows current availability
- Reading the books: All three novels are available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats through major retailers
- Library access: The trilogy is widely held at public libraries, often with short wait times for digital copies
The books remain the only way to experience the complete story. Since no film sequel exists, readers who want to know how everything ends will find closure exclusively in Yancey’s novels.
FAQs About The Fifth Wave Sequel
Is The 5th Wave book series finished?
Yes, Rick Yancey completed the trilogy with The Last Star in 2016. The series has a definitive ending that resolves Cassie’s story and the alien invasion arc.
Who played Cassie Sullivan in The 5th Wave movie?
Chloë Grace Moretz starred as Cassie Sullivan. Nick Robinson played Ben Parish, and Alex Roe played Evan Walker.
Are there other alien invasion movies similar to The 5th Wave?
Films like A Quiet Place, War of the Worlds, and Independence Day explore similar survival-during-invasion themes, though each takes a different approach to the genre.
Does The 5th Wave have a sequel in book form?
Yes, two sequels exist. The Infinite Sea and The Last Star continue and conclude the story that the movie left unfinished.