A Simple Favor Getting Sequel With Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick Returning
A sequel to the 2018 film A Simple Favor is in development, with stars Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick scheduled to return. According to Deadline, The sequel comes from Lionsgate and Amazon Studios, though there isn't any word on if the project will be another big-screen release or stream on Prime Video. Someone else returning is director Paul Feig, along with Jessica Sharzer. Feige will direct and produce with Laura Fischer, with Sharzer writing the screenplay. The film follows a single, widowed mother named Stephanie that is working as a vlogger in Connecticut. She becomes fast friends with an affluent, upper-class woman named Emily who also has a child at the same elementary school. When Emily goes missing, Stephanie decides to investigate her disappearance herself.
A Simple Favor holds a Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 84% Tomatometer rating among critics. The Audience Score comes in at 73%. The critics consensus states, "Twisty, twisted, and above all simply fun, A Simple Favor casts a stylish mommy noir spell strengthened by potent performances from Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively." The domestic box office for A Simple Favor came in at $53.5 million, while the worldwide box office totaled $97 million. While those aren't astronomical numbers, there appears to be enough interest to warrant a follow-up.
Paul Feig spoke of his hopes that A Simple Favor could find a second following on streaming back in 2019.
"I just want more people to see it!" Feige told Decider. "I'm so proud of it. In many ways, it's my favorite movie I've made. I was very happy with how well we did at the box office, but I'm greedy. I always want more, and I want more people to see it. I just want them to enjoy it. I always felt like this was a movie that a lot of people were going to catch up with once it got to streaming. So I just really want people to enjoy it, and I hope they haven't heard any spoilers. Also, we didn't advertise the fact that it's also quite funny, darkly so, but still quite funny. You know, all my movies, I try to make them so that they're a lot of fun at the end of the day, even if they go dark or do other things. This is definitely one that's in a different genre than I normally do."
The synopsis for A Simple Favor reads, "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."