Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively are teaming up for a sequel to their 2018 dark comedy film, A Simple Favour.
It’s hardly surprising: the first movie was a huge commercial success for Lionsgate, earning more than $97 million at the worldwide box office.
Based on the 2017 novel A Simple Favor by Darcey Bell, the murder-mystery told the story of a widowed single mother and vlogger called Stephanie Smothers (played by Kendrick), who became infatuated with her enigmatic best friend, Emily Nelson (Blake Lively). However, when Emily suddenly vanished one day, dark truths began to emerge about her past.
Lionsgate and Amazon Studios confirmed the sequel news on Wednesday (11th May), sharing that Paul Feig and Jessica Sharzer will also return to helm and write the screenplay, respectively.
Here’s everything you need to know about A Simple Favour 2.
A Simple Favour 2 release date speculation
A release date for A Simple Favour 2 is yet to be confirmed.
What’s more, both Kendrick and Lively, who are reprising their lead roles, have busy schedules, and it’s not clear when the sequel will even go into production.
Kendrick has a few other projects in the pipeline, namely the Netflix movie about an infamous real-life serial killer, titled Rodney & Sheryl, as well as new thriller Alice, Darling, while Lively is set to make her big-screen directorial debut with an upcoming adaptation of a graphic novel from Scott Pilgrim vs the World creator Bryan Lee O’Malley.
The first film was released in cinemas back in 2018, but whether the sequel will release in cinemas or go straight to Amazon Prime Video remains to be seen, and viewers will have to wait for more information.
A Simple Favour cast
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Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect, Stowaway) and Blake Lively (Gossip Girl, The Rhythm Section) are reprising their lead roles in the sequel, it has been confirmed.
Following the announcement, Lively posted an Instagram Story linking to a news article about the sequel, coupled with Taylor Swift’s Look What You Made Me Do playing, presumably giving fans a taste of what’s in store for her character.
The first film also featured actors Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells, Linda Cardellini and Rupert Friend in supporting roles, but whether any of these actors will be returning alongside the two main leads remains to be seen.
What will A Simple Favour 2 be about?
After twists and turns galore, the ending of the first film saw Emily sentenced to 20 years in prison for killing her father and sister (as well as the on-air attempt to kill her husband), while Stephanie advanced her career as a part-time private detective.
So where might A Simple Favour 2 pick up?
With American Horror Story writer Jessica Sharzer penning the script once again we can expect plenty of twists and turns, but will Emily have charmed her way out of prison to exact revenge against Stephanie?
What’s more, what will Stephanie have uncovered in her new role and will Emily’s cheating husband, Sean (Henry Golding), who Emily tried to shoot in the first film, reappear?
With plot details being kept firmly under wraps for now, only time will tell.
A Simple Favour 2 trailer
Sadly, it’s too early to expect a trailer for the sequel, given that filming is yet to kick off.
But watch this space!
A release date for A Simple Favour 2 is yet to be confirmed. While you’re waiting, visit our Movies hub for more news and features or find something to watch tonight with our TV Guide.