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After landing on Netflix in May 2024, A Simple Favor didn't take long to shoot straight up to the upper rankings of the daily top 10. The day after its drop on May 19, the Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively double billing debuted at the No. 2 spot. Not bad for a criminally underrated movie that should have made far more at the box office than its still impressive $97.6 million.
Thankfully, by some miracle, the 2018 dark comedy thriller from director Paul Feig had a sequel put into development in May 2022 with Kendrick, Lively, and Feig all attached to return. By March 2024, A Simple Favor 2 was officially greenlit with a more cast members announced to return, including Henry Golding and Andrew Rannells.
Even though A Simple Favor has currently become a hit on Netflix thanks to the movie being available on the streaming service, the sequel isn't being produced by Netflix and likely won't be available on the streamer. The sequel comes from Amazon MGM Studios and will be released as an Amazon Prime Video exclusive, according to Deadline. The first movie was a theatrical release.
A Simple Favor 2 is happening
Production on A Simple Favor 2 was planned to begin in the fall of 2023, though the dual Hollywood labor strikes pushed filming back to spring 2024. In early April, Blake Lively was spotted filming a wedding scene in Capri, Italy with Anna Kendrick and new cast member, 365 Days star Michele Morrone. The handsome actor appears to be Emily's groom.
Although the first movie was based on the book of the same name by Darcey Bell (no, A Simple Favor isn't based on a true story), the sequel appears to be taking inspiration elsewhere. According to Variety, the sequel will again be written by Jessica Sharzer and will find Stephanie and Emily in Italy for Emily's wedding to an Italian businessman, though the occasion promises murder, betrayal, and plenty of twists.
On returning to her role, Anna Kendrick told Entertainment Weekly in 2022:
"I can't wait to revisit the hilarious, deeply dark inner world of Stephanie Smothers, and reunite Stephanie and Emily under the watchful and stylish eye of the glorious Paul Feig."Anna Kendrick
And director Paul Feig shared his sentiments about the sequel, too:
"A Simple Favor is one of my favorite films I've ever made and it's all because of the amazing writing of Jessica Sharzer and our stunning, hilarious cast headed by my brilliant heroes Anna and Blake. Expect more stylish twists and turns than Ralph Lauren making pretzels while driving down Lombard Street."Paul Feig
A Simple Favor 2 already has plenty of star power with its pair of A-list leads, but in March 2024, the sequel added the Academy Award and Emmy Award winning actress Allison Janney to the cast. As of the announcement of her casting, there were no additional details on her role, including how big it might be, but it's still exciting to know she will be adding her sense of humor to the story.
Here's the confirmed cast so far:
- Anna Kendrick as Stephanie Smothers
- Blake Lively as Emily Nelson/Hope and Faith McLanden
- Henry Golding as Sean Townsend
- Andrew Rannells as Darren
- Bashir Salahuddin as Detective Summerville
- Joshua Satine as Miles Smothers
- Ian Ho as Nicholas "Nicky" Townsend-Nelson
- Kelly McCormack as Stacy
- Elena Sofia Ricci
- Michele Morrone
- Elizabeth Perkins
- Alex Newell
- Taylor Ortega
- Lorenzo de Moor
- Aparna Nancherla as Sona
- Allison Janney
Amazon hasn't yet set a release timeframe for the movie, but considering filming could be wrapped before the summer's end, a possible release before the end of 2024 could be in the cards. If not, A Simple Favor 2 could be a high-profile release for Amazon to kick off its 2025 with a bang. Again, it's unlikely that the movie will ever call Netflix a streaming home, though the original could come back here and there over the years.
But don't worry! Both Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively have projects that will be released on Netflix later this year. Kendrick stars in her directorial debut Woman of the Hour, which is set for release as a Netflix original film sometime in 2024. Lively next headlines the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's best-seller It Ends with Us, and since it's distributed by Sony, the movie will stream on Netflix following its theatrical run. For now, watch A Simple Favor while it's available.
Stay tuned for more movie news and updates from Netflix Life!