The sequel to 2022’s breakout horror hit Smile has entered production ahead of a release later this year. Here are soe new details about Smile Deluxe…
Smile Deluxe (love that title) has officially started production in Newburgh, New York. The follow-up to 2022’s Smile was virtually guaranteed when the first film came out of nowhere to become one of that year’s success stories, grossing almost $220m from a $17 production budget.
Considering that Paramount were considering simply putting the film straight onto its streaming platform, Smile’s incredible success became a key moment in that year’s shifting narrative regarding the value of theatrical runs for films of all shapes and sizes. Of course, that success also meant that a sequel was inevitable, and the project was fast-tracked into development with director Parker Finn returning to helm the next film in the series as part of a long-term deal he signed with Paramount.
As you’ve probably gathered, the film now has a title: Smile Deluxe. We also have a cast list in place (thanks to The Cinemaholic) and it includes some new and returning faces: Kyle Gallner is confirmed to be returning as Joel, the detective from the first film, while Jesse T Usher, Gillian Zinser and Martin Matulis are said to be making a comeback as well.
Among the new cast, it’s said that Lukas Gage (Euphoria) and Rosemarie DeWitt (The Staircase) are rumoured to be new additions, while Anatomy Of A Scandal’s Naomi Scott is said to be the horror sequel’s new lead.
The slated release date for this one is 18th October, 2024. We’re guessing that the sequel will adopt a similar premise to the original in which the lead character is ‘haunted by visions of people smiling at her after she witnesses a girl commit suicide in front of her, smiling.’ You can read a great story about the moment that the film’s director knew he had something on his hands here.
We’ll bring you more updates on the film as we hear them but as it stands, Smile Deluxe doesn’t have a lot of competition in the horror stakes when it is set to land on October 18th. That will surely change, though, and we’ll bring you more details on other releases as we hear them.
