The SXSW Festival in Austin, TX has grown into one of the most exciting events on the festival circuit, and Blake Lively’s latest film, Another Simple Favor, the sequel to 2018’s A Simple Favor, will be premiere as the opening night feature film. It’s sure to be one of the most talked about moments at the festival. Wondering if Lively will take questions on the red carpet?
Directed by Paul Feig, who is returning for the sequel, the highly anticipated thriller reunites stars Lively and Anna Kendrick in their popular roles, Emily Nelson and Stephanie Smothers. The storyline sets Emily and Stephanie amongst the picturesque backdrop of the island of Capri, Italy, surrounding Emily’s opulent wedding to a wealthy Italian businessman. The plot promises a blend of glamorous guests, murder, and betrayal, maintaining the suspenseful and comedic elements that characterized the first film.
According to the movie synopsis: “Along with the 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.”
Other returning cast members include Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells, and Bashir Salahuddin, complimented by newcomers Michele Morrone, Elizabeth Perkins, Alex Newell, and Allison Janney (always wonderful).
I have a simple favor to ask you… can you save the date? #AnotherSimpleFavor from @AmazonMGMStudio is premiering as the opening night film at @SXSW in Austin on March 7th. And then we hit @PrimeVideo on May 1st. Stay tuned for more details and much more fun! 🍸🍸🍸☠️☠️☠️ pic.twitter.com/dQJ1GiPqyv
— Paul Feig (@paulfeig) February 4, 2025
Feig expressed his excitement about returning to his “favorite festival in the world.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled,” Feig said about coming back to SXSW after achieving success there with his films, Bridesmaids (2011) and Spy (2015). “I cannot begin to say how honored I am to have our film opening it all,” he added. "I've avoided making sequels to any of my films but these characters were just too much fun,” according to AP News.
The premiere will be Lively’s first public appearance since her legal conflict with Justin Baldoni, her co-star and director from It Ends With Us. What has transpired since she filed a lawsuit against Baldoni—for sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her—has now become a public relations nightmare for herself, Baldoni and even Lively’s very famous husband, Ryan Reynolds.
Blake Lively’s ‘A Simple Favor’ sequel gets premiere date as Justin Baldoni legal battle rages on https://t.co/3kQICIVN7f pic.twitter.com/k7s9D5bmwj
— New York Post (@nypost) February 4, 2025
Baldoni has filed his own $400 million lawsuit and the amount of allegations now involving Reynolds, and even touching on Taylor Swift. The situation has ballooned into a fiasco for everyone, and it will be interesting to see if Lively is able to weather the storm and help bring in another successful movie. Will Lively make an appearance at the debut of the film on the red carpet at SXSW?
“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, festival vice president, in a statement, via the AP.
After the film’s debut at the festival, Another Simple Favor will be available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video May 1.
The trail date between Lively and Baldoni is set for spring of 2026.