Smile Sequel Gets Major Update With New Star

Aladdin's Naomi Scott is set to star in Smile 2.

By Charlie Ridgely

Smile, Paramount's sneaky horror hit from last year, is getting the sequel treatment in 2024. This time around, however, there will be a new face at the forefront of the story. After the events of the first film, it seemed unlikely that star Sosie Bacon would stay on as a lead for the sequel, though her involvement hasn't been ruled out. What we know now, however, is that Naomi Scott will be leading the way in Smile 2.

According to a new report from Deadline, Scott has been cast in the lead role in Smile 2, though details about her character are being kept under wraps. Scott is best known for starring in films like Charlie's Angels, Aladdin, and Power Rangers, and now she'll be the new face of Smile. She reportedly beat out several others in a highly competitive audition process to land the job.

While the lead will be changing for Smile 2, there will be more consistency behind the camera. Writer/director Parker Finn is returning to fill both roles once again. The script has been written and he'll be directing for an October 2024 release date.

Speaking with ComicBook.com last year about the potential future of Smile as a franchise, Finn explained that he never intended to tell a story bigger than just the first movie. He didn't expect Smile to become a smash hit on an extremely modest budget, so now he'll be continuing the story.

"I made Smile to, of course, be self-contained, tell its whole own story," Finn said in 2022. "I didn't think in a million years that there would be such a demand for a sequel. But having said that, I think there are definitely things inside of the film that remain purposefully unexplored that would be very exciting to dive into, and also things that I didn't get a chance to do on the first one for either budget constraints or if it didn't quite fit in the story that I think would be really exciting."

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He continued, "I still feel that I never want to overtly just repeat myself or do the same thing I just did, but I think that there could be a really exciting way for there to be more in the world of Smile, but something very unexpected and surprising for an audience with a lot of tricks up its sleeves."

Are you looking forward to Smile 2 next year? Let us know in the comments!

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