What do we know about Smile 2 and can we smile with joy? Cinemax
Say what you want, “Smile” was a very good horror film. Of course, the film could have been better and more original than it actually was. It nevertheless offers excellent acting from most of the actors (notably Sosie Bacon, Kevin’s daughter, in the main role), combined with a tense atmosphere and grim, well-executed scenes. Even though its ending was weak, the massive success of “Smile” — the highest-grossing horror film of 2022, grossing over $217 million — made Paramout’s decision on whether or not there would be a Smile 2 movie pretty straightforward.
We received the happy news in April 2024, more than six months after the start of his “Smile” cinematic journey. Later, we got more details about the cast, plot and release date of ‘Smile 2’. In the following article, we will solve the problem for you, and it will seem to you that perhaps there is something to smile about.
Smile 2 Main role: Bacon OUT, Scott IN
One of the biggest questions that comes with “Smile 2” concerns the lead role. Without spoiling, the first “Smile” ended in a way that indicates that lead actress Sosie Bacon won’t be able to star in the sequel (even though we’ve already learned that in horror franchises, anything is possible). The one who will return is Kyle Garner, who plays Joe, a police detective who was previously the partner of the heroine Rose (Bacon) and who participated in the investigation into the curse.
The most significant news concerns the main character, the one ultimately chosen being the talented Naomi Scott. Scott, who began his career in the failed sci-fi series “Terra Nova” and the Disney TV movie “Lemonade Mouth,” has recently starred in major films. She played Kimberly, the Pink Ranger, in the remake of Power Rangers (2017), which I saw for God knows why. Her most memorable role was that of Princess Jasmine in “Aladdin” (2019), which perhaps led her to turn to the world of horror because it is not easy to survive filming with Will Smith. Scott was also the only good thing in another remake, this time for “Charlie’s Angels” (2019), and she might have been happy to erase him from her resume.
In recent years, Scott has somewhat disappeared from the radar. Yes, she starred in one of the lead roles in Netflix’s “Anatomy of a Scandal,” but we haven’t seen her appear in a movie in about five years, which is pretty unusual for a young actress. Despite this, its casting is probably not surprising since the plot of “Smile 2” is about a pop star.
Scott is an excellent singer who has released several albums and performed on the soundtracks of several important projects. You may remember the hit “Speechless” from the Aladdin soundtrack, which reached 40 million views on YouTube in the five years since.
Smile 2 Cast Updates
In the months since, we’ve received a few more casting updates. As with the first film, the writing and directing work is in the capable hands of Parker Finn (who also created “Laure Hasn’t Slept”, the short film on which the first “Smile” is based). The cast will also include Rosemary DeWitt, who received widespread praise (and several awards) for “Rachel Getting Married,” played Ryan Gosling’s sister in “La La Land” and – and this is already a little more interesting for us horror fans – played the mother in the rather pointless 2015 renewal of “Poltergeist.”
Other interesting names in the “Smile 2” cast include Lucas Gage (“You,” “Euphoria,” “The White Lotus”) and Peter Jacobson (Der Taub from “House,” as well as Rabbi Jacob Kesner in “Fear the Walking Dead”).
Filming for “Smile 2” took place primarily in the Hudson Valley, between January and March 2024. Other main locations included Poughkeepsie, Albany, Newburgh and New York.
Plot of Smile 2: What is Smile 2 about?
If you saw the From the first movie, you can probably assume that in “Smile 2” we’ll mostly see people smiling creepily before doing something terrible to themselves or others. The plot of “Smile 2” follows a pop star named Skye Riley (Scott, in a Lady Gaga/Miley Cyrus/Whatabar short blonde haircut, which is all the rage among pop stars), who experiences a series of inexplicable events after encountering a figure from her past.
Riley’s in the middle of a world tour, and she’ll probably wonder if what she’s experiencing — events that probably involve people flashing a creepy smile before doing something terrible to themselves or others — is related to the stress she’s experiencing or something else. Payne himself claimed that we would get a slightly different film than the first and also explain a little more about the origin of this evil entity. “There are still many interesting things to explore the world of Smile,” he said. “I would like make sure there’s a new, exciting, fresh way to do it that audiences don’t expect. I also want to find a few new ways to scare and disturb audiences.
Smile 2 Trailer: Can You Unskip It?
A few weeks ago, the first trailer was released, introducing the character of Skye and some of the events she will encounter, such as a character who sees something strange behind the heroine, smiles a scary smile, and then gets hurt. In a framed essay, the trailer didn’t impress me much, but the same can be said of the trailer for the first film, which wasted some great scenes (if you’ve seen the film and the trailer, you know what scenes these are). So feel free to ignore it!
However, here is the trailer for “Smile 2”, which is presented here as important information for the audience, but feel free to skip that as well:
As part of the film’s promotional campaign, Fremont decided to release a single by Scott’s character in the film, Skye Riley, called “Blood on White Satin” (no music video yet) – yes, the song that plays in the background of the trailer. To my not-so-expert ears, but to music lovers in general, it’s a decent pop song, which shows off Scott’s pretty impressive vocal abilities, combined with production reminiscent of some of the stars of the scene.
It probably won’t be a viral hit like that song from “Aladdin.” The proof is its view count, which is in the tens of thousands, but it remains an exciting attempt to bring the character to life. And in fact, they even opened a website and Instagram profile for Skye Riley.
When is Smile 2 coming out?
“Smile 2” release date in the United States is October 18, 2024: just before Halloween, a month generally considered very successful among horror fans.
