Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick Movie ‘Another Simple Favor’ Opening SXSW – Deadline
By Anthony D’Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office Editor
There will be an opening-night film at SXSW, and it’s the Paul Feig-directed black comedy sequel Another Simple Favor from Amazon MGM Studios.
The title, which reteams Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively and will have its world-premiere screening March 7, reps a return for Amazon MGM Studios to SXSW opening-night festivities; last year, the studio brought the Doug Liman-directed Road House.
It’s also a return for Feig, whose female-driven comedy Spy made its world premiere at SXSW in 2015, while his Bridesmaids had a late-night screening at the Austin-based fest in 2011.
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Today’s news means Another Simple Favor will open the 32nd edition of the SXSW Film & TV Festival on March 7 alongside The Studio, Seth Rogen’s Apple TV+ showbiz comedy, which had previously been announced.
Another Simple Favor sees the return of Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) and Emily Nelson (Lively) as they head to the beautiful island of Capri, Italy, for Emily’s extravagant wedding to a rich Italian businessman. Along with glamorous guests, expect murder and betrayal to RSVP for a wedding with more twists and turns than the road from the Marina Grande to the Capri town square. The film also stars Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Elizabeth Perkins, Michele Morrone and Alex Newell, with Henry Golding and Allison Janney.
The original 2018 movie A Simple Favor was released theatrically by Lionsgate at grossed close to $100 million worldwide. Another Simple Favor is set to stream on Prime Video.“When we saw this film last fall, we instantly knew it had to open SXSW — it gave us that electric feeling we live for as programmers,” said Claudette Godfrey, the festival’s VP Film & TV. “Paul Feig and SXSW share an unmatched love for bold, fearless comedy. From that unforgettable late-night screening of Bridesmaids to Spy‘s raucous world premiere, his films capture exactly what makes our festival special — wildly entertaining projects that push boundaries. We’re beyond excited to reunite with Paul and kick off the festival with a film that had our entire team laughing, cheering, and immediately wanting to watch it again!”“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be back at my favorite festival in the world where we successfully launched Bridesmaids and Spy, and I cannot begin to say how honored I am to have our film opening it all,” said Feig. “I’ve avoided making sequels to any of my films but these characters were just too much fun not to revisit. So, to be able to have Anna, Blake, Henry, Andrew, Michele, Elizabeth, Alex and myself watch our film with the great SXSW audience is a bucket list event that I’ll be able to check off March 7th and move playing drums for Dwight Yoakum’s band up to the top slot.”
Lively is currently in a high-profile litigation and media battle with her It Ends With Us star and filmmaker Justin Baldoni. A federal judge this week threatened to move up a 2026 trial-start date.
Beamed Head of Amazon MGM Studios, Jennifer Salke, “Paul Feig has once again delivered the perfect blend of mystery, wit, and unexpected twists in the highly anticipated Another Simple Favor. The cast, led by the extraordinarily talented Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick, brings life to a script that propels the sequel to new heights. We are beyond grateful for our collaborations with Paul, Blake, Anna, and the entire cast and filmmaking team. We could not be more excited to share the next chapter of this saga with the always enthusiastic SXSW audience and ultimately with our Prime Video customers around the world.”The script, which is based upon characters by Darcey Bell, was written by Jessica Sharzer and Laeta Kalogridis. It is produced by Feigco Entertainment’s Feig and Laura Fischer, and executive produced by Jennifer Booth, Jessica Sharzer and Marco Valerio Pugini. The film is a Lionsgate and Feigco Entertainment production.
SXSW runs March 7-14.Get our Breaking News Alerts and Keep your inbox happy.Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters
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Source: http://deadline.com/2025/02/blake-lively-another-simple-favor-sxsw-1236278056/
