Lionsgate and Amazon Studios are reportedly partnering on a sequel to 2018 black comedy thriller A Simple Favor. Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, the stars of the original film, are set to return, as are director Paul Feig and screenwriter Jessica Sharzer.
Based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Darcey Bell, the film followed a vlogger and single mother named Stephanie who befriends a secretive upper-class woman, Emily, who has a child at the same school. But when her new friend mysteriously goes missing, Stepanie decides to investigate the disappearance herself.
The film earned $97 million on a $20 million budget, and did have an open ending that led fans to wonder if there would be a follow up. But there is no sequel novel, and plot details are under wraps, so it’s anyone’s guess where this next film will go.
In an industry filled with sequels, it’s somewhat of a surprise that it’s taken four years for Lionsgate to pounce on a follow-up to a profitable original movie. However, teaming up with Amazon for the project suggests they’re not entirely confident the sequel can match the box office return of the original. Expect the film to drop on Amazon Prime.
Kendrick currently stars in HBO Max series Love Life. Her last film was 2021’s impressive sci-fi drama Stowaway. She’s currently filming Alice, Darling, Mary Nighy‘s directorial debut.
Speaking of directorial debuts, Lively recently signed on for hers. She’ll direct Seconds, based on the graphic novel of the same name and featuring a script penned by Edgar Wright. She also recently co-wrote, produced and directed the music video for Taylor Swift‘s ‘I Bet You Think About Me.’ Her last movie role was 2020’s The Rhythm Section.
Feig is best known for helming comedies such as Bridesmaids, Spy, and Ghostbusters. A Simple Favor was a surprising left turn from him at the time. His last movie was 2019 romcom Last Christmas, but he does have the Netflix adaptation of popular fantasy novel The School For Good and Evil arriving later this year.
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