I wasn’t much of a “Smile” fan to begin with, so it was a pleasant enough surprise to be, mostly, taken by this year’s sequel, “Smile 2,” which upped the ante with a bigger budget and more creatively inspired choices. Naomi Scott in the lead role was incredible. I just didn’t find it stuck the landing, but really, who cares, the sequel was bigger, better, and more ambitious.
A listing on Production Weekly now has a sequel, “Smile 3,” set to enter production in 2025. No plot details or a cast have been revealed. Finn will return as writer-director for this third instalment.
“Smile” (2022) had a budget of $17M and somehow managed to gross $217M worldwide. It’s clear the budget for “Smile 2” was much higher than $17M, but despite some clunky marketing on the part of Paramount, it still managed to earn $137M worldwide. These films are made cheap, and there was no reason to believe that another one wouldn’t get made.
Finn is now a much sought after filmmaker. Earlier in the year it was revealed that he would direct a remake of the 1981 film “Possession” with Robert Pattinson potentially set to the star. Meetings to acquire the project, between some top-notch studios, including A24, Netflix, Paramount, Sony and Warner Bros, took place. Paramount, who own “Smile,” won out.