A Simple Favor: Paul Feig Explains Why He Returned for Sequel

In March, it was announced that a sequel to 2018’s A Simple Favor was officially moving forward with production on the Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, and Henry Golding starring film kicking off in Italy in the spring. For fans, news of the sequel was a welcome surprise but there was another surprise as well. Paul Feig, who directed the first film, returned for the sequel as well. For Feig, it will be the first sequel he’s ever done but now, he’s explaining why A Simple Favor 2 was the right sequel to take on and it turns out, it’s the love of the characters.

I’m thrilled,” Feig told Variety of A Simple Favor hitting No. 1 on Netflix. “It makes me so happy because this really is one of my favorite movies. It’s done well in the theaters, but I always feel so many people haven’t seen it yet so now they do get to see it.”

He continued, “It’s a lot because also if you look at my work, I’ve never done a sequel before just for that very reason. I’ve always tried to stay away from it but this one I just loved these characters and always felt we can revisit them.”

What is A Simple Favor About?

Released in 2018, in A Simple Favor, “Stephanie is a widowed, single mother who works as a vlogger in Connecticut. Her best friend, Emily, seems to have it all — a successful career, a loving family, and a glamorous lifestyle. When Emily mysteriously disappears one day, Stephanie launches her own investigation by digging into her friend’s past — and finding a few surprises along the way.” The film performed well at the box office and did well with critics. It currently is Certified Fresh with an 84-percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and has fared well with audiences as well, with a 73-percent audience score.

Previously, Kendrick teased the sequel and her character’s development in it saying that “she’s still Stephanie.”

What is A Simple Favor 2 About?

A Simple Favor 2, which was first reported to be in development back in 2022, will see Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) and Emily Nelson (Lively) head to the island of Capri for Emily’s wedding, with the itinerary for the destination wedding — which is between Emily and a wealthy Italian businessman — will include murder and betrayal.

The film will be a co-production between Amazon MGM Studios and Lionsgate and will stream on Prime Video. Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Joshua Satine, Ian Ho, and Kelly McCormack are also set to reprise their roles from the first film. Jessica Sharzer is returning to write the sequel with contributions from Feig and Laeta Kalogridis.