John Krasinski & Emily Blunt Are Not In A Quiet Place: Day One
Although Emily Blunt hinted at her involvement in A Quiet Place: Day One, it is officially confirmed that neither she nor Krasinski make appearances. The movie entirely focuses on the perspectives of Sam and Eric instead of bringing the Abbott family back. Since John Krasinski and Emily Blunt do not return in A Quiet Place: Day One, the prequel is able to follow Sam and Eric's journey as they go from being complete strangers to people who are fighting to survive together.
It would have been possible for A Quiet Place: Day One to include Lee and Evelyn Abbott. Their family lives outside of New York City and was in their hometown when the aliens arrived. Since Day One focuses on the first day of the alien invasion, it could have been possible for the franchise to expand on their backstories by showing them go to the city before settling down at their quiet farmhouse in the countryside. Ultimately, it was decided that A Quiet Place's Prequel did not need to bring the Abbotts back in such a capacity.
Do Any A Quiet Place Characters Return For Day One?
With Evelyn and Lee out of the picture, A Quiet Place: Day One limits itself to bringing back only one familiar face. Djimon Hounsou played a small role in A Quiet Place Part II as "Man on the Island." He is the leader of a small colony of survivors who works tirelessly to help rescue as many people as possible from the alien invasion. A Quiet Place: Day One sheds more light on his character, including his name, Henri. His role is directly connected to Sam and Eric's story, with the film exploring events he described in Part II.
Djimon Hounsou is officially the only person from a previous A Quiet Place movie to return for the Prequel. Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe do not make appearances as Evelyn and Lee's children, Regan and Marcus. Cillian Murphy also is not seen again after debuting as Emmett in A Quiet Place Part II. Bringing back Hounsou opened the door for the prequel to include more familiar faces, but A Quiet Place: Day One opted against needlessly stuffing in characters audiences had met before.
Why The Abbott Family Didn't Need To Appear In A Quiet Place: Day One
As well-written and acted as Evelyn and Lee were, they were not needed for A Quiet Place: Day One, since the idea would be to let the mostly new cast of characters show audiences what they bring to the table. It could be jarring if the Abbott family suddenly showed up in the prequel - even if it were a brief cameo - since the film made strong efforts to highlight the new characters and the New York setting. Leaving them out allows audiences to become just as attached to Sam, Eric, and others as to the Abbott family.
While Man on the Island's reappearance makes sense considering his mysteriousness, Evelyn and Lee only make up a tiny fraction of the world the franchise is set in. Additionally, A Quiet Place Part III is set for a 2025 release, which will no doubt see the Abbott family carrying on the franchise's legacy. While a cameo appearance from Evelyn and Lee could have been a neat homage to the characters and the world they established, it ran the risk of being a gimmick and possibly taking away some of the spotlight from the newer characters in A Quiet Place: Day One.
Where Are The Abbotts During A Quiet Place: Day One?
Depsite A Quiet Place: Day One's prequel setting, including Evelyn, Lee, and the other Abbott family members always would have been difficult. This is primarily due to A Quiet Place Part II already explaining what their experience was like on Day 1. The sequel's opening sequence focuses on Lee and his family as they attend Marcus' baseball game, which is interrupted when everyone notices something falling through the sky. It is only minutes later that the aliens begin attacking Millbrook, with Lee and Evelyn split up as they protect their children at first.
Showing John Krasinski and Emily Blunt's characters in Millbrook, New York, during Day 1 of the invasion made it incredibly difficult for A Quiet Place: Day One to naturally include them. Their returns would only raise questions about how or why they would go to New York City in the aftermath of the attack. Since the whereabouts of the Abbott family and Emmett were already confirmed during Day 1, they could not realistically appear in the prequel. A Quiet Place: Day One would have needed a different setting geographically or in the timeline for Krasinski and Blunt to appear.
