I don’t know about you, but after getting to know the four friends of Joy Ride, I’d be excited to watch more of their chaotic vacations together in a sequel or two beyond one of the most hilarious titles among 2023 new movie releases. The raunchy comedy brings together an unlikely comedy ensemble that I’d follow to new destinations. But if there was going to be a Joy Ride 2, where should Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu and Sabrina Wu’s characters travel to next, and who else should star?
When CinemaBlend sat down with writer/director Adele Lim, who famously co-wrote the screenplays for Crazy Rich Asians and Raya and the Last Dragon before making her directorial debut with Joy Ride, she spoke about the possibility of a sequel. In her words:
We have been so in the throes of Joy Ride and so excited for people to watch it. I can't imagine. But yes, this is a group that you wanna see go on like a bunch of different adventures, maybe Europe.
As Lim shared, the team behind Joy Ride hasn’t exactly been thinking about a sequel just yet because they’ve been putting all their time and effort into making the movie and promoting it. But that being said, the first thing that came to mind in terms of a destination is somewhere in Europe.
Perhaps after the group of friends found each other, they would reunite in Europe for a group trip and something wild would happen while they are en route. For example, I could see Lolo’s artwork really picking up steam with a lucrative art dealer somewhere in the continent, and Audrey and the crew would come along, with Audrey not really believing her obscene creations would gain traction. Something like that, perhaps?
I also asked Lim if should cast more actors to bring into the mix for Joy Ride 2, and she seemed content with her cast as is. As she continued:
In terms of like another [actor] I’d wanna throw in the mix, really our four are total stars. We have Sabrina Wu, who the world has not seen before and is not ready for. So, I just cannot wait to get these four back together again and see what else they come up with.
Release Date: July 7, 2023
Directed By: Adele Lim
Written By: Adele Lim, Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, Teresa Hsiao
Starring: Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, Sabrina Wu
Rating: R for strong and crude sexual content, language throughout, drug content and brief graphic nudity
Runtime: 95 minutes
Adele Lim is right, one of the best things about Joy Ride is how it allows these four actors to shine as leads in a big-screen comedy for the first time. Ashley Park has gained notoriety for her Broadway career and roles in shows like Beef and Emily in Paris, but in Joy Ride, she gets top billing. Additionally, Stephanie Hsu came off of Best Picture winner Everything Everywhere All At Once, which scored her an Oscar nomination as well, but seeing her in Joy Ride allows her to diversify her career and see her in a new role.
And Sherry Cola has become known for her role in Good Trouble, but if you haven’t been exposed to the show you might not know her. Sabrina Wu has been gaining traction for their standup sets, but Joy Ride is their first movie ever! We will especially not be getting over the Joy Ride “WAP” cover from all four of them any time soon.
I also asked a couple of the Joy Ride cast members for their thoughts on actors who could appear in the sequel, and they had plenty of ideas. During my conversation with Sabrina Wu and Stephanie Hsu, they threw out Manny Jacinto, Harry Shum Jr. and Bowen Yang just to name a few. There’s a lot of awesome talent in the Asian-led comedy already, but that could be further expanded in a sequel, should it come.
Critics have been loving Joy Ride already, with CinemaBlend’s Joy Ride review giving the film 4 out of five stars. You can check out the movie itself, now playing in theaters.
