SDCC 2024: Paul Feig Reveals Inspiration for A Simple Favor 2

Paul Feig says the idea for his first-ever sequel came, in part, from another movie idea he had.

By Nicole Drum

Fans were pleasantly surprised back in March when it was announced that a sequel to 2018's A Simple Favor was on the way with not only stars Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively returning, but filmmaker Paul Feig returning as well. It's the first time Feig has ever made a sequel and now, speaking to ComicBook at San Diego Comic-Con, he reveals that his return for the film comes from a love of the characters — and reveals where the idea for A Simple Favor 2 came from. It turns out, it was the marriage of a love of characters and an idea for another film.

"I've avoided them like the plague, but this one, I just love those characters and I remember just thinking, 'I think there's something more to do with them,'" Feig said when asked about the film being his first sequel. "And I had an idea for a different movie that took place in Italy and I was like, 'wait, what if I marry these two?' And that's what we did. And it's really fun. We just had our first test screening of an early cut that I did this week and it tested through the roof."

A Simple Favor 2 is a sequel to 2018's A Simple Favor, which performed well at the box office and won over not just fans but critics as well. That film followed "Stephanie (Kendrick) is a widowed, single mother who works as a vlogger in Connecticut. Her best friend, Emily (Lively), 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."

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What is A Simple Favor 2 About?

Plot details about A Simple Favor 2 have thus far been kept under wraps. The film was first reported to be in development back in 2022 and, at that time, it was indicated that the film will see Stephanie and Emily 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 — including 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. It's expected to be released in 2025.

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