Netflix's Murder Mystery Sequel Gets Director, Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston Expected to Return

One of Netflix's biggest movies is getting a sequel: Murder Mystery, the 2019 mystery-comedy starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. Now it's being reported that the Murder Mystery sequel has found a director in Jeremy Garelick, the producer/director behind films like The Wedding Ringer and The Break-Up, the latter of which starred Aniston and Vince Vaughn. A script for the Murder Mystery sequel has already been done by James Vanderbilt, but Garelick will reportedly put his own updates on it. The sequel is reportedly being fast-tracked by Netflix, and is set to shoot in Paris and the Caribbean.

The first Murder Mystery was a success for Netflix back in 2019, tallying nearly 30.9 million viewers in the first three days of its release. At the time, it was the biggest-ever weekend debut for a Netflix movie. Netflix wasn't at all shy about celebrating the film's success with an official ratings post:

"30,869,863 accounts watched Murder Mystery in its first 3 days - the biggest opening weekend ever for a Netflix Film. 13,374,914 accounts in the US and Canada, and 17,494,949 more worldwide." --Netflix

At the time of Murder Mystery's release, Netflix was pushing hard to rival movie theater chains in terms of offering viewers premium blockbuster movie content from the comfort of home. The COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed the game, as audiences made the mass shift from the theatrical model to the at-home streaming model years ahead of projected expectations. Now Netflix is sitting much prettier having spent the last few years before the pandemic courting some of Hollywood's biggest stars to headline exclusive Netflix blockbuster movie franchises.

Clearly, Netflix knows as much and doesn't want to miss out on the momentum they built; the only question is how much is going to cost the streaming service to get Sandler and Aniston back for another round. Deadline's report notes the pair of stars is "circling" the Murder Mystery sequel, which is a slightly different headline than years back, when the sequel was first greenlit, with reports saying Sandler and Aniston were already coming back.

Here's the synopsis for Netflix's Murder Mystery - "When an NYC cop (Adam Sandler) finally takes his wife (Jennifer Aniston) on a long promised European trip, a chance meeting on the flight gets them invited to an intimate family gathering on the Super Yacht of elderly billionaire Malcolm Quince. When Quince is murdered, they become the prime suspects in a modern day whodunit."

Netflix's Murder Mystery sequel is now in development.