Following the reveal that the twisty mystery, A Simple Favor, would be getting a sequel, has been a flurry of casting news. Variety reports that Allison Janney is the next to join the star-studded cast. Original cast members Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively have been confirmed to return for the sequel as Stephanie and Emily respectively. Additional cast members include Henry Golding and Andrew Rannells.

Janney has had a long career in both dramatic and comedic roles, making her a prime addition to the cast. The actor recently appeared in Apple TV+‘s Palm Royale, and is celebrated for her widely varied characters in I, Tonya and Juno. These roles demonstrate how much range she has as an actor. She injects varying degrees of comedy into these different projects and has a talent for the more dramatic. Janney’s handle of both sides of the coin lends perfectly to the tone of A Simple Favor. Stephanie’s dogged pursuit of the truth in the first film is juxtaposed with a startling level of humor.

But as inspired as the casting of the best movie mom is, this news leads to questions about how a sequel will function. A Simple Favor was adapted from the 2017 thriller by Darcey Bell and has a generally cut-and-dry ending. But with the success of the film and the popularity of its lead actors, a sequel was an easy sell.

How Will ‘A Simple Favor’ Continue?

Emily’s disappearance in the first film ends quite definitively as she ends up in prison for her related crimes. This ending doesn’t necessarily inspire the desire for a sequel. But that doesn’t mean that a follow-up film can’t work, especially with Lively and Kendrick returning. A Simple Favor 2 could find success from the tried and true methods of other directors.

Rian Johnson’s Knives Out was similarly a mystery that ended on a solid note. However, the popularity of the film brought rise to a franchise of sorts, starring Daniel Craig. Knives Out 2 follows Benoit Blanc (Craig) heading off to solve another mystery, which seems to be the tactic that A Simple Favor 2 is taking. The upcoming film will feature Stephanie and Emily jetting off to Capri for the latter’s wedding to a wealthy businessman. As is par for the course with Emily, murder soon follows at the extravagant celebration.

While the first film establishes that Emily is sentenced to 20 years in prison, that evidently will not come to pass in the sequel. Certainly, the follow-up will give a throwaway line about Emily being released for good behavior or some excuse, but that is not why viewers are turning in. A Simple Favor was never concerned with realistic depictions of the truth, and the new films most likely won’t be either. A Simple Favor 2 is currently in pre-production, and A Simple Favor is available to stream on Amazon Prime.

via Collider