Director Paul Feig, known for A Simple Favor, recently addressed rumors on social media regarding the sequel being ‘shelved indefinitely’.
In December, Blake Lively filed a lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, her co-star and the director of It Ends with Us, alleging sexual harassment and a smear campaign.
In the aftermath, speculation arose around another film featuring Lively—2018’s A Simple Favor with Anna Kendrick.
On January 10, a Twitter user named Eric B claimed: “BREAKING: Amazon shelves A Simple Favor 2 indefinitely. Despite glowing test screenings, Blake Lively’s refusal to promote – amid her messy legal battle with Justin Baldoni – and growing tensions with Anna Kendrick have derailed the sequel. Anna is furious. Paul Feig is disappointed. Hollywood is in shock. This isn’t just a movie – it’s an implosion. […] Disclaimer: This thread is based on publicly available information, insider accounts, and research. If you share or reference any part of this, please provide proper credit. Acknowledgment is appreciated and expected.”
Feig responded to these claims, tweeting: “This is total BS. Sorry. The movie is finished and coming out soon. Don’t believe anything you read on social media these days.”
Eric B replied: “Hi Paul, if my story is ‘false,’ could you clarify why Amazon hasn’t set a release date for a film that wrapped in April 2024? Why are there no promo plans yet? Saying ‘coming out soon’ doesn’t really address the delays or the concerns. Would love to hear more!”
Feig explained: “My friend, it’s called post production, which generally takes over half a year at least when you factor in editing, scoring, special effects, sound mixing, close captioning and all the technical quality control that has to be done. Our post schedule always had us finishing everything by mid-January. Movies don’t come out the second they’re finished because the studio spends the previous year deciding the best date to release it. We’ve always planned on something in the spring/summer of this year. That’s how movies work. I hope this helps.”
Another Twitter user remarked: “You said that with a lot more patience, grace and dignity than I would have mustered.”
In May 2024, Feig celebrated A Simple Favor’s success on Netflix and announced that production on the sequel, set to release in 2025, had just concluded in Italy for Prime Video.