Amazon MGM Studios and Lionsgate has made it official: a sequel to the Paul Feig-directed thriller “A Simple Favor” is happening. The studios announced Wednesday that everyone associated with the first film will return for “A Simple Favor 2,” including stars Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick.
Both Lionsgate and Amazon MGM Studios will co-produce, alongside Feigco Entertainment’s Paul Feig and Laura Fischer. Jessica Sharzer will be executive producer as well as screenwriter. Unlike the first film, which was purely a Lionsgate property, this sequel will get an added boost from Amazon MGM Studios.
According to Amazon, “Simple Favor 2” brings back Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) and Emily Nelson (Blake Lively) as they head to the beautiful island of Capri, Italy, for Emily’s extravagant wedding to a rich Italian businessman. “Along with the glamorous guests, expect murder and betrayal to RSVP for a wedding with more twists and turns than the road from the Marina Grande to the Capri town square.”
Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Joshua Satine, Ian Ho, and Kelly McCormack will also return in their roles from the first feature.
News of a sequel was revealed back in 2022 though this is the first confirmation from a studio that it is actually happening.
The first film was a critical and commercial success for Lionsgate, earning more than $97 million at the worldwide box office and achieving Certified Fresh status on Rotten Tomatoes. The 2018 film followed Kendrick’s Stephanie as she attempted to find out what happened to her (presumed) best friend, Emily. Murder and intrigue prevailed in the adaptation of Darcey Bell’s book.
Kendrick can next be seen in Netflix’s “Woman of the Hour,” which she also directed. Lively will return to the screen in June, starring in the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s popular novel, “It Ends With Us.”
“A Simple Favor 2” is looking to start production in the spring and will stream on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
