Smile 2 Viral Marketing Seemingly Begins With Cryptic Pop Star Reveal

Is pop star Skye Riley the protagonist of Smile 2?

By Jenna Anderson

2022's Smile caught attention for quite a lot of reasons, from its spine-tingling plot to its inventive marketing campaign. A lot of that marketing included placing versions of its wide-grinning avatars out in the real world, including on every major MLB game. If a recent report is any indication, there's a chance that the movie's forthcoming sequel is already getting creative with its promotion. Bloody Disgusting recently discovered a mysterious billboard on Sunset Boulevard that promotes a musician named Skye Riley. An Instagram account for the artist's street team, @SkyeRileyNation, has also surfaced online, promoting a single titled "Blood on White Satin" that will be released on June 18th.

Some have deduced that the entire real-life presence of Riley might be stealth promotion for Smile 2, especially since the partial shots of Riley in the existing posts seem to look like Naomi Scott, who is confirmed to be starring in the film. While this has yet to be confirmed, it could be another unexpected way to draw attention to Smile 2.

What Is Smile 2 About?

Plot details surrounding Smile 2 are currently unknown at this time. In the original Smile, after witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain. Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality. In the film's finale, Rose appeared to have conquered the presence, only for audiences to witness her fatal sacrifice in front of Joel, implying that he would be the next victim of the supernatural curse.

New cast members for Smile 2 will include Scott, Lukas Gage, Rosemarie DeWitt, Dylan Gelula, Raul Castillo, and Miles Gutierrez-Riley. 

Who Is Returning for Smile 2?

At least one character from the first Smile is confirmed to return in Smile 2, with Kyle Gallner's Joel lined up to have a significant role. Meanwhile, Kal Penn, who portrayed Dr. Desai in the first film, has indicated that he will not be reprising his role.

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"As far as I know, I'm not in the sequel. But I would obviously say 'yes' if they called," Penn explained in an interview with Screen Rant earlier this year. "That was a blast, that movie. I think originally it was called 'There's Something Wrong With Rose' and it was this lower budget horror. movie. I thought the script was awesome, and I'm from New Jersey, we shot mostly in New Jersey, so it seemed very cool. And I like horror. And then, the way it kind of blew up, I was so excited and so happy for, obviously, the cast, and Sosie [Bacon], and the director, but just the idea that horror fans were like, 'All right, that's the movie,' that we didn't even think was gonna go theatrical, and then it did. So, I'm excited for the second one, as a fan.'"

Smile 2 is currently scheduled to be released on October 18th.

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