Another Simple Favor director talks about his plans for a third film

Paul Feig returns to the SXSW festival with Another Simple Favor, a sequel to his 2016 black comedy thriller. It will follow Blake Lively's and Anna Kendrick's characters in a renewed dynamic. The teaser trailer shows Lively's Emily Nelson preparing for a wedding in Italy while Kendrick's Stephanie Smothers pens a book about their shared past. Emily crashes Stephanie's book-reading event and asks her to be a maid of honor.

Things seem just as dark and twisted as they were the last time these two crossed paths. The trailer offers a peek into the wild ride they would potentially take us on.

“At the end of the day, it’s a fun, twisty, stylish, and sexy thriller in a sort of Hitchcockian way. They can be funny, and they can also be scary and intense. You get a full range of emotions and you have a good time.”

Feig told Variety's Mark Malkin about Another Simple Favor, ahead of its SXSW premiere. On the occasion of this sequel's release, Malkin asked whether there would be a third Simple Favor film. Feig replied,

"It would be fun. We’re definitely set up for one. There’s more fun stuff to be done with these characters."

Another Simple Favor director Paul Feig talks about the sequel and more

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Paul Feig's Another Simple Favor is all set for a debut at the SXSW festival ahead of its streaming release on May 1. It is his third time at this Austin-based festival after 2011's Bridesmaids and 2015's Spy. Turns out, it holds a special place in his heart.

"I’ll do anything to have a movie playing here"

Feig tells Variety. He further reveals why he loves this festival so much.

"It’s not a snooty film festival. The audiences love movies and they love entertainment. And the fact that it’s music, television, and movies means that people are coming to celebrate arts and entertainment fun."

During his conversation, Feig also shared how he came up with the idea for Another Simple Favor, which brings Lively and Kendrick's characters back to the screen for a destination wedding in Capri.

"It’s fun taking Anna’s character out of her suburban comfort zone, as much as she’s comfortable anywhere, and putting her in a completely different world with opulence and over-the-top rich people and over-the-top beauty and money. It just seemed like too much fun."

Feig also seems open to the idea of a third film, as he notes that "there's more fun stuff to be done with these characters."

Another Simple Favor will debut on Amazon Prime Video on May 1, 2025.