In the midst of a tumultuous $400 million legal dispute involving It Ends With Us stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, news has emerged regarding Lively’s latest project. Amazon Prime Video is preparing to roll out Blake and Anna Kendrick’s follow-up to their 2018 thriller A Simple Favor.
Freshly titled Another Simple Favor, the film sees the reportedly feuding actresses reunite on screen with the film set to premiere on the opening night of the 2025 SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, on March 7. This was revealed by director Paul Feig in a Tuesday announcement.
With attention still focused on Blake’s highly publicised clash with Justin, Paul Feig took to social media and dropped the promotional poster for Another Simple Favor, which is slated for a Prime Video release beginning May 1. Despite this development, Feig might have overlooked leading lady Blake Lively in his promotional campaign as he neglected to tag her in the announcement on Instagram – a detail that did not escape notice.
When one Instagram user inquired: “Is it Paul’s cut or Blake’s cut?” hinting at rumours that Lively had sought script alterations on It Ends With Us, Paul promptly clarified with his reply: “It’s my cut. There is no other cut. Blake has been nothing but supportive and a dream to work with. She is the best and an amazing collaborator and I’m her biggest fan. Just wanted to clear that up.”
Another Simple Favor is set to bring back Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick as the enigmatic suburban moms Emily Nelson and Stephanie Smothers. The sequel promises more intrigue, with the plot whisking Stephanie and Emily off to Capri, Italy, for Emily’s extravagant wedding to a wealthy Italian businessman, reports the Mirror.
Despite the original film, A Simple Favor, receiving a mixed reception in 2018, with some branding it a ‘sublimely silly battle of the moms’ and others a ‘delicious black comedy’, its critical panning and rumoured behind-the-scenes friction between the stars have left many surprised that a sequel is on the way.
Social media users have been vocal about their astonishment and scepticism: “Shocked that there’s a sequel to this movie but OK,” one person posted, while another stated flatly: “No thank you. I’ll pass on this.”
A third comment read: “I speak for us all when I say we will not be watching.”
The purported animosity between Lively and Kendrick has also sparked curiosity, with one user asking: “Wait so they don’t hate each other?” and another humorously anticipating the press tour: “This should be a fun press tour.”
Film enthusiasts are expressing mixed feelings, with one quipping: “Can’t wait for the sequel to be titled ‘Just One More Simple Favor, I Swear.”
Another confessed: “Still really not sure why this needs a sequel, but I’m curious.”
Another Simple Favor will be available to stream on Amazon Prime Video on May 1