Posted in: Movies, Paramount Pictures | Tagged: naomi scott, paramount, smile 2

Smile 2 Will Star Naomi Scott As Franchise Preps Next Installment

Smile 2 has found its star. Naomi Scott will headline the Paramount horror sequel as they turn the surprise hit into a franchise.

Published Thu, 14 Dec 2023 13:27:07 -0600

by Jeremy Konrad

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Article Summary

Naomi Scott to lead Paramount's horror sequel Smile 2, set for 2024.
Parker Finn returns to write and direct the burgeoning franchise.
The original Smile grossed $217 million globally, making a sequel promising.
Smile 2 faces stiff competition with other major releases in October.

Smile 2 has found its star. Naomi Scott (Disney's live-action Aladdin) will star in the next installment of the Paramount franchise. Parker Finn is writing the script and will direct the film. It's set to open on October 18th, 2024. Paramount wisely saw something in that first film and released it in theaters instead of directly on Paramount+, which paid off. The film scored $217 million worldwide. Now, is this a franchise? I am not so sure, but we will find out pretty quickly. In my circles, time has not been kind to that first film in horror fans' eyes. Deadline had the news.

Smile 2 Will Star Naomi Scott As Franchise Preps Next Installment — LOS ANGELES – OCT 15: Naomi Scott arrives for 2nd Annual Academy Museum Gala on October 15, 2022, in Los Angeles, CA. Image via Shutterstock/DFree

Smile 2 Has An Uphill Battle Ahead of It

The first film synopsis was as follows: After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY Parker Finn, PRODUCED BY Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Isaac Klausner, Robert Salerno. STARRING Sosie Bacon, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Robin Weigert, Caitlin Stasey with Kal Penn, and Rob Morgan.

The film has been on Paramount+ for some time now and has also been a big one on that service. So, maybe I am wrong here, but I do not see Smile 2 being quite as big. Also, next October is getting pretty stacked. Wolf Man is coming from Blumhouse a week later, Terrifier 3 is out that same week, and Joker: Folie à Deux opens a few weeks before. That first Smile movie didn't have much competition around it, so it had room to breathe at the box office. We shall see.

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