Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick’s ‘A Simple Favour’ sequel to premiere at SXSW
The sequel to Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick’s 2018 hit A Simple Favour will premiere on the opening night of the 2025 South By Southwest festival on March 7th, 2025, before debuting worldwide on Amazon Prime Video on May 1st, 2025.
The highly-anticipated movie – now officially titled Another Simple Favour – follows Kendrick’s Stephanie Smothers and Lively’s Emily Nelson as they travel to Italy for Emily’s wedding to a wealthy Italian businessman. Naturally, all is not as it appears, and the nuptials are soon beset by murder and betrayal.
Alongside Kendrick and Lively, stars Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells, and Bashir Salahuddin are returning from the first film, while new recruits Alison Janney, Elizabeth Perkins, and Michele Morrone are joining in the blackly comic fun. Paul Feig has also returned as director, and this will be his third film to premiere at SXSW after Bridesmaids in 2011 and Spy in 2015.
“When we saw this film last fall, we instantly knew it had to open SXSW — it gave us that electric feeling we live for as programmers,” said Claudette Godfrey, the festival’s Vice President of Film and Television.
She continued: “Paul Feig and SXSW share an unmatched love for bold, fearless comedy. From that unforgettable late-night screening of Bridesmaids to Spy’s raucous world premiere, his films capture exactly what makes our festival special — wildly entertaining projects that push boundaries. We’re beyond excited to reunite with Paul and kick off the festival with a film that had our entire team laughing, cheering, and immediately wanting to watch it again.”
Meanwhile, Feig added, “I’ve avoided making sequels to any of my films, but these characters were just too much fun not to revisit. 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 that I’ll be able to check off March 7 – and move playing drums for Dwight Yoakum’s band up to the top slot.”
If Lively attends the premiere, it will mark the star’s first public appearance since her ongoing legal battle with It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni began.
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