We might not be getting a sequel to It Ends With Us anytime soon, but Blake Lively is already making a comeback. Filming for the highly anticipated sequel of A Simple Favor, the 2018 film in which Lively starred opposite Anna Kendrick, reportedly wrapped last year.
Both actresses have reprised their roles, as has Henry Golding, who played Lively’s onscreen husband in the first film, alongside Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Joshua Satine, Ian Ho and Kelly McCormack.
Unsurprisingly, amid her ongoing legal battle with her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni, it is Lively's return to the big screen that everyone is talking about. In January, there were rumours that the film's release had been delayed because of Lively's legal drama, but the director Paul Feig was quick to dispel them. 'This is total BS. Sorry. The movie is finished and coming out soon. Don’t believe anything you read on social media these days,' he wrote on X on 10 January.
In fact, when Lively filed her lawsuit against Baldoni in December, accusing him of sexual harassment on set and of launching a calculated smear campaign against her during the press run of the film, Feig was one of the first people to jump to her defence. 'I’ve now made two movies with Blake and all I can say is she’s one of the most professional, creative, collaborative, talented and kind people I’ve ever worked with,' the director wrote on X on 22 December. 'She truly did not deserve any of this smear campaign against her. I think it’s awful she was put through this.' Baldoni has denied all allegations and has filed a counter lawsuit against Lively.
As for Kendrick, last October 2024, she told PEOPLE it was 'lovely' reuniting with Lively for the sequel. 'She lives on the East Coast, I live on the West Coast, so we don't get to see each other often. But it was lovely, and I think that those characters have such weird chemistry that it's so fun to just get the gang back together,' said The Woman of the Hour star. 'And it does feel a little bit like riding a bike.'
When does A Simple Favor 2 come out?
The world premiere of A Simple Favor 2 will be at the 2025 South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas on 7 March.
Director Feig said in a statement, 'I couldn’t be more thrilled to be back at my favourite festival in the world where we successfully launched Bridesmaids and Spy, and I cannot begin to say how honoured I am to have our film opening it all.
'I’ve avoided making sequels to any of my films but these characters were just too much fun not to revisit,' added Feig. 'So to be able to have Anna, Blake, Henry, Andrew, Michele, Elizabeth, Alex and myself watch our film with the great SXSW audience is a bucket-list event I’ll be able to check off March 7 and move playing drums for Dwight Yoakum’s band up to the top slot.'
The film will be available to stream on Prime Video starting 1 May.
Where can I watch A Simple Favor 2?
You can watch A Simple Favor 2 on Prime Video from 1 May.
What is A Simple Favor 2 about?
According to a synopsis, the sequel sees the 'return of Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) and Emily Nelson (Lively) as they head to the beautiful island of Capri, Italy, for Emily’s extravagant wedding to a rich Italian businessman.
'Along with the glamorous guests, expect murder and betrayal to RSVP for a wedding with more twists and turns than the road from the Marina Grande to the Capri town square,' the synopsis continues.
At the end of the first film Emily was being sent to prison, so it appears that the new film will jump forward in time and follow her life after she's been released.
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across pop culture, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things TV for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow shows with equal respect).