Another Simple Favor: Writers Jessica Sharzer and Laeta Kalogridis Explore This Dark Comedy Wedding Thriller Sequel Redefining the Dysfunctional Family

Another Simple Favor masterfully reimagines the dysfunctional family drama by blending razor-sharp wit with a suspenseful game of secrets and lies wrapped in an exotic wedding thriller.

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Paul Feig, the sequel provides everything fans loved about the original 2018 dark comedy thriller and then some. Set against the stunning backdrop of Capri, the film reunites the original cast—Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively—while introducing a new ensemble of mysterious and equally devious characters. As a lavish wedding celebration unfolds, long-buried family secrets emerge, friendships are tested, and betrayal lurks in every corner. In this outrageous comedic thriller, no-one is safe, and every plot pivot keeps viewers guessing until the very last moment – and beyond.

A Recap Of A Simple Favor (2018)

The story of the first film began in 2018 with the seemingly innocent request for “a simple favor.” Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick), a mommy vlogger, forms an unlikely friendship with the glamorous and dubious Emily Nelson (Blake Lively), a fellow mom at her son’s school. When Emily asks Stephanie to take care of her son, what appears to be a routine favor spirals into a web of secrets, lies, twists, turns, and outrageous revelations. Emily vanishes without a trace, prompting Stephanie to launch her own investigation.

Jessica Sharzer

The truth is truly jaw-dropping: Emily had killed her twin sister, Faith, and faked her own death to escape her past. With Emily’s dark secrets exposed in soap operatic fashion, she is sentenced to 20 years in prison, while Stephanie’s viral vlog transforms her into a social media sensation and amateur sleuth.

A Sequel Wasn’t Originally Planned

After the 2018 release of A Simple Favor (written by Sharzer), a sequel wasn’t initially planned, despite the film’s impressive $100 million box office success. Producer Laura Fischer explains, “When Emily went to jail, everybody kind of thought that was the end of the story.”

“We got together with writer Jessica Scharzer, Paul, and brainstormed how to bring these characters back,” Fischer recalls. Sharzer proposed the idea of Emily’s release and another simple favor: ‘Will you be my bridesmaid?’ and a sequel was born.

Director Paul Feig, known for female-led comedies like Bridesmaids and Spy, had mainly avoided sequels. But the dynamic between Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively’s characters proved irresistible. “It felt like they had more in them, and it needed to be an international adventure.” Co-writer Laeta Kalogridis agrees: “I wanted to see these two women take the next step and join together against a common adversary.”

In Another Simple Favor, Stephanie has capitalized on her newfound fame, solving more cases and writing her first true-crime book, The Faceless Blonde, which tracks Emily’s wild story. However, guilt from a recent case haunts her, prompting a hiatus from vlogging and a reluctance to celebrate her book’s release.

Everything changes when Emily returns unexpectedly. Released from prison on appeal, Emily is unapologetic and ready to jet off to Capri to marry the mysterious Dante Versano (Michele Morrone). She natually has one more favor to ask: Stephanie must be her Maid of Honor. “It’s wild. It’s outlandish. It’s fun.”

Screenwriters Jessica Sharzer and Laeta Kalogridis Share Their Thoughts on Writing Another Simple Favor

Why did you see a need for a sequel to A Simple Favor since the first film had a natural conclusion?

Jessica: That’s true! The first movie ended quite conclusively, but then it had a resurgence during the pandemic on streaming platforms. It started the conversation about a possible sequel. Paul knew he wanted to shoot in Italy and specifically in the Amalfi coast. We had a lot of fun imagining what could possibly bring these two arch enemies together again.

If you could make the first film again, what would you do?

Jessica: I love the first movie and am loath to change anything. Perhaps we would have thought about the ending differently and the end title cards that project into the future.

These caper films are driven by heavy plot. How did you keep track of the plot, twists, and characters during the writing?

Laeta: I actually found it useful to keep a chart! Knowing who knew what when, and how they were going to reveal that information to other characters (or figure things out themselves). It started to make a lot of sense to have.

Laeta Kalogridis

Describe the genre and tone of Another Simple Favor.

Jessica: A Simple Favor is a genre mash-up that made it hard to write and also hard to describe. But Paul did a great job of blending thriller with comedy – which is an unusual combination. He dubbed it “suburban noir” which aptly captures the mix of the mundane and the crazy.

This is ultimately a story of dysfunctional family dynamics and sisterhood. What makes it so distinct from similar stories?

Laeta: I feel like we got lucky with the source material in that we were given something so unusual and frankly so outside the box that let us explore family dynamics in a heightened, extreme way. There was a lost triplet who was presumed strangled in the womb by the other two twins!

We could also touch on familiar issues of jealousy, attraction, sibling rivalry and also family solidarity using extreme situations to illuminate very familiar, even everyday emotions.

What are the main character-building moments for Emily and Stephanie?

Jessica: The first movie has the two women start out as friends and become enemies by the end, so it seemed fitting that the second movie have the opposite trajectory.

I’m particularly fond of the scene in which Emily tells Stephanie that she brought her on the trip because she knew, if anything bad happened to her, Stephanie would come looking for her. It’s just who Stephanie is, in part because she’s decent, but in part because she’s insatiably curious and can’t leave things alone.

I also realized that, given that Emily is estranged from her own family and her extended family, she really has no one to turn to. And even though Stephanie betrayed her and sent her to jail, they did once have a friendship.

I was particularly interested in the theme of mothers and sons. Stephanie is micromanaging her son who is now five years older and very frustrated by that. She needs to learn to let go. Emily, on the other hand, has been away from her son for the same four years and is desperate to reconnect with him and rebuild their relationship. In essence, she has the opposite problem Stephanie does. She needs more connection while Stephanie needs to cut the cord.

The characters are very “heightened” and “elevated.” How did you keep them grounded?

Laeta: We tried to keep them grounded by making sure their emotions were recognizable and uncomplicated. Love, hate, jealousy, passion, insecurity, fear— these things are simple and we all know them well. It doesn’t matter ultimately how fancy the outfits are, how exotic or affluent the locations or situations. When the emotions are simple, the audience has a place to anchor themselves.

Is there a moment or scene which captures the essence of the entire film?

Jessica: Emily’s grand entrance into the bookstore during Stephanie’s reading captures who these two women are and what their dynamic is. Here’s Stephanie trying to capitalize on what she’s been through and Emily makes it all about herself. But she also shines a spotlight on the fact that even Stephanie’s book is all about Emily. She really is obsessed, which gives Emily the perfect opening to ask her next favor. I also like that she asks publicly so it becomes a communal decision.

What social comment are you making about the world today?

Laeta: I think we’re trying to talk a little about romance, jealousy, competition for romantic partners and (of course) mistaken impressions of who loves whom. It’s a bit of a throwback to French farce stage plays, crossed with 1940s noir. So, maybe what we’re trying to say is that the world today is complicated, but all the convoluted things about love, friendship, betrayal, sisterhood and secret love affairs remain refreshingly evergreen.

How did you keep it in check so it didn’t become too farcical?

Laeta: I like to think we made choices that were rooted in a combination of comedy and solid character work, so that the characters felt like friends to the audience— people you could identify with and enjoy spending time with, no matter how extreme the situations were they found themselves in.

by Staff Writer

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