Smile sequel: Parker Finn would aim to make the follow-up new, exciting, and fresh

Writer/director Parker Finn’s horror film Smile (read our review HERE, watch the movie HERE) left the door wide open for a sequel – and given that the Paramount release earned over $200 million at the global box office, you have to imagine that the studio has already been asking for a sequel. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Finn confirmed that Smile was originally going to skip theatres and go right to Paramount+ until it scored well at a test screening, and discussed how he would approach making a sequel. If one were to be made.

When asked if he has thought about making a Smile sequel that picks up right where the first movie left off, Finn said, “I do think that there is still a lot of interesting stuff to explore in the world of Smile. There certainly are stones that I left unturned by design. And then there are other things that I, at one point or another, wanted to put in the movie, but they didn’t end up in the movie for whatever reason. So those things are still exciting to me, but if there’s more to be done with Smile, I would never want to just repeat myself or retread the same ground. I’d want to make sure that there’s a new, exciting, fresh way into it that the audience isn’t anticipating. I also want to find some new ways to scare them and unnerve them. But as far as how it may connect to the first one, if we were to do it, I’d want that to be surprising as well.“

The interviewer ended their conversation by saying, “Congratulations on Smile’s success, and I’ll see you in a year or two for Smile$.” Finn laughed and replied, “I love it. Thank you.”

Smile is based on Finn’s short film Laura Hasn’t Slept (watch it HERE), which won the Special Jury Recognition Prize in SXSW’s Midnight Short category. Caitlin Stasey (Neighbours) played the title character in that short, and reprises the role in Smile, making it a follow-up of sorts. Smile has the following synopsis:

After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can’t explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.

Stasey is joined in the cast by Sosie Bacon (Charlie Says), Kal Penn (the Harold & Kumar movies), Kyle Gallner (Red State), Jessie T. Usher (The Boys), Rob Morgan (Mudbound), Judy Reyes (Scrubs), and Gillian Zinser (90210).

Smile was produced by Temple Hill, with Nathan Samdahl and Natalia Maymi overseeing the project for Paramount Players. In another featurette, Parker Finn promised that nothing can prepare you for what’s going to happen in his movie, which he wanted to feel “like an escalating nightmare”.

Smile is receiving a Blu-ray, 4K UHD, and DVD release tomorrow, December 13th. Copies can be ordered at THIS LINK.

Are you a fan of Smile, and would you like to see a sequel? Let us know by leaving a comment below.