Smile 2 Is In The Works As Director Parker Finn Strikes A Deal At Paramount
Last fall, Paramount Pictures found itself with a huge horror hit in the form of "Smile." The film, from director Parker Finn, made over $217 million at the worldwide box office, and it cost right around $17 million to make. That means a sequel was pretty much a foregone conclusion, but Paramount has yet to make any official announcement about a follow-up. However, we finally have word that a "Smile" sequel appears to be in the works.
The Hollywood Reporter announced that Parker Finn has struck a new first look deal at Paramount, where the filmmaker will write, produce, and direct new horror movies that the studio will get a first crack at. One of the priorities under that new deal is to get a "Smile" sequel off the ground, though there's no indication as to exactly how quickly it will come together.
'Parker knows how to keep people on the edge of their seat...'
"Smile" followed Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon, seen above), as she finds herself experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain after witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient. As time goes on, Rose is forced to confront a troubling experience from her past in order to escape a deadly fate. However, the film ended on a cliffhanger that left the story open to more horror. We won't spoil that in this article in case there's anyone out there who hasn't yet seen the horrifying grins from "Smile," but you can read all about the ending right here, if that's how you roll.
Since this deal just came together, there's probably no definitive time table for the "Smile" sequel in place, but considering how successful the first one was, Paramount will undoubtedly want to make that one of the first projects that Parker Finn works on. Not bad for a movie that was originally destined to be released on Paramount+ but ended up in theaters after positive test screenings.
In a press release, Paramount president & CEO Brian Robbins said in a statement that the success of "Smile" at the box office "is a testament to Parker's unique and fresh filmmaking, and we are thrilled that he will make Paramount his home." Meanwhile, Paramount's motion picture group co-presidents Michael Ireland and Daria Cercek made a joint statement, adding, "Parker knows how to keep people on the edge of their seat and we're happy that we get to keep scaring audiences together."
"Smile" marked Finn's feature debut, but now that he has a hit film on his hands, he's got a promising career ahead of him. Considering "Smile" was adapted from his own short film "Laura Hasn't Slept," maybe he's got some other ideas kicking around that would make for a compelling feature. We'll have to wait and see.