Paramount has officially announced that the 2022 horror movie Smile is receiving a sequel.
With a budget of merely $17 million, Smile became one of the biggest horror releases of 2022 after grossing $217 million. It was initially planned to premiere on only Paramount+ but headed to theaters following its positive reception.
Smile director Parker Finn previously spoke about the potential of Smile 2, but wanted to do something different from the original film. All this sounds like it could be setting up one hell of a horror movie sequel!
Here’s everything we know about the new movie, including the Smile 2 release date, who’s in the cast, and more.
Smile 2 release date
Smile 2 will premiere in theaters on October 18, 2024.
The release date is fitting, as it comes out just before Halloween.
Is there a trailer?
The first Smile 2 trailer dropped on June 18, 2024. You can watch it for yourself below:
There’s a lot to take in (Joel’s back!), but the main thing everyone’s talking about is the song featured in the trailer, which was designed specifically for the film. The track was created for Naomi Scott’s pop star character, and you can listen to it on Apple Music now!
A full trailer then followed on August 3, and gave a much larger (and spookier) insight into the madness of Naomi Scott’s Skye Riley:
From what we can see, it appears as though the pop star is plagued with the mysterious smiling creature that murders her friend, and dealing with fame all while trying to outrun a dark entity looks like hard work. Even more distressingly, it looks like the only way to avoid it is to die and then be brought back to life.
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Smile 2 cast: Who’s in it?
The Smile 2 cast will have a new group of stars, including Naomi Scott as fictional pop star Skye Riley.
Here’s the full Smile 2 cast:
- Naomi Scott as Skye Riley
- Kyle Gallner as Joel
- Lukas Gage as Lewis
- Rosemarie DeWitt
- Dylan Gelula
- Raúl Castillo
- Miles Gutierrez-Riley
Finn is returning to direct the sequel in addition to writing and producing Smile 2. “I’m just trying to enjoy the moment of finally crossing the finish line on this one,” Finn revealed to Slash Film.
“I think there’s a lot of fun to be had in the world of Smile, but as a filmmaker, I never want to just do a retread of anything. So, if there was ever to be more, I’d want to make sure that it was very surprising and not what people might expect.”
Smile 2 plot: What’s it about?
Smile 2 will continue the story of an evil smile spreading around the inner circle of one person, only this time it will focus on an international pop star.
Other than that, the rest of the plot details are still to be revealed. The trailer gives a fair amount away, and we know that if the cursed smile is bad enough for normal people, it’s going to have real impact when it comes to a superstar with a huge fanbase.
So, it’s Smile, but with the scope amped up ten times over.
For more, check out our guides to the best horror movies on Prime Video and the best horror movies on Disney Plus. We’ve also got guides to Speak No Evil and 28 Years Later for more new horror!