Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston prove that they’re a deadly combination in more ways than one in Netflix’s Murder Mystery. The original Netflix film had Aniston and Sandler’s characters, Aubrey and Nick Spitz, unwillingly involved in a crime that they had to solve before it led to them being incarcerated. Now Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler plan to reunite for Murder Mystery 2.
With Adam Sandler films, fans can expect a degree of wacky comedy, over-the-top characters, and crazy situations. Murder Mystery delivered that and more, which is why it’s one of Netflix’s most popular movies. The film had one of Netflix’s biggest three-day streaming numbers ever, with 30.9 million households streaming it over its initial release weekend. By July 2019, over 73 million households had watched.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the streamer greenlit Murder Mystery 2 a few months after its huge release. Production has finally begun, so let’s explore what’s known about it so far.
Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler Aren’t The Only Familiar Characters Returning For Murder Mystery 2
Murder Mystery 2 reunites Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston for their third movie together. The first is 2011’s Just Go With It. In Murder Mystery 2, Aniston and Sandler reprise their roles as vacationing married couple Aubrey and Nick Spitz.
Fans are excited to see Aniston and Sandler return, but they’re not the only characters reprising their roles. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Adeel Akhtar and John Kani are the other cast members from the original confirmed to return for the upcoming sequel.
Adeel Akhtar plays Maharajah and John Kani plays Colonel Ulenga. Because many Murder Mystery 2 details are being kept secret, we don’t know if other characters and actors from the original film might make cameo appearances. We’re excited to see Aniston, Sandler, Kani, Akhtar, and potential other Murder Mystery characters' return.
The Netflix Movie’s New Cast Members Include Mark Strong And Jodie Turner-Smith
In January 2022, the Murder Mystery sequel announced the new cast members joining the project and they included a Shazam! star. The actor's names were announced but their characters were left a mystery.
Mark Strong is one of the most well known names attached to the Murder Mystery 2 cast. Strong has been in many hit movies and TV shows, including Cruella, 1917, Shazam!, Zero Dark Thirty, and Kingsman: The Secret Service. French actress Mélanie Laurent also has a role in this sequel. Some of Laurent’s past projects include Inglorious Bastards, Beginners, Now You See Me, and 6 Underground.
Tony Goldwyn has a role in Murder Mystery 2, and Scandal fans remember him as Fitz on the ABC hit series. Goldwyn also had major roles in King Richard, Ghost, and the Divergent series. Jodie Turner-Smith is one of the actresses on the rise joining this project. She had her breakout role in Queen & Slim. Turner-Smith then joined Michael B. Jordan as part of the Without Remorse cast. In 2021, she took on the title role in the Anne Boleyn miniseries. She’ll also be in one of the highly anticipated upcoming movies, After Yang.
Annie Mumolo may be best known for penning the script for Bridesmaids with Kristen Wiig. Mumolo also reunited with Wiig to co-star and co-write Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar. She's also appeared in Bad Moms, Queenpins, This is 40, and Afternoon Delight. The Murder Mystery 2 cast also includes Enrique Arce, best known to international audiences for his role as Arturo in Money Heist, Kuhoo Verma (Hulu’s Plan B and The Big Sick), and Zurin Villanueva, who has appeared in Detroit, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Insatiable.
Murder Mystery 2 has assembled a very intriguing cast that we can’t wait to see in the film.
No Release Date Has Been Set, But Filming Was Underway As Of January 2022
According to Deadline's report in August 2021, Murder Mystery 2 was supposed to film in “Paris and the Caribbean." The Daily Mail released photos showing Jennifer Aniston, Adam Sandler, and the cast of this sequel filming on the beaches of Hawaii on January 19, 2022.
Netflix has yet to announce a release date for Murder Mystery 2, but because filming is apparently underway, there is a chance it ends up on the 2022 Netflix movie schedule. If filming wraps by March, then we could perhaps see Murder Mystery 2 as early as late summer or very early fall. If I had to guess, I would expect this sequel to hit the streaming service sometime between August and October 2022. We’ll have to wait for Netflix’s official announcement to confirm the release date.
Jeremy Garelick Directs Murder Mystery 2
Jeremy Garelick is directing Murder Mystery 2. He’s best known for directing The Wedding Ringer, starring Kevin Hart and Josh Gad, and The Binge, a Hulu original film that stars Skyler Gisondo, Dexter Darden, and Eduardo Franco. He’s also been a producer on Plan B, Sex Appeal, The Break-Up, and Big Time Adolescence.
Kyle Newacheck directed the first film. It is a bit of a surprise that Newacheck isn’t returning to direct Murder Mystery 2, because soon after the film’s initial release, he was excited about the possibility of a sequel. The initial announcement about Garelick taking over as director doesn’t state why Newacheck left or wasn’t invited back for Murder Mystery 2.
One behind-the-scenes crew member returning is James Vanderbilt, who wrote the screenplay for the original film. He also co-wrote the new Scream, The Amazing Spider-Man, and Zodiac.
Jennifer Aniston Sees Murder Mystery As Her Break From Serious Material
Jennifer Aniston has been doing a lot more serious films and TV shows over the last few years, including The Morning Show. Soon, she’ll be right back into the drama for The Morning Show Season 3. Films such as Murder Mystery 2 offer the actress some greatly needed relief from these serious topics and roles.
In an interview with THR, Aniston briefly spoke about Murder Mystery 2 and her excitement for the project. She had this to say about her upcoming projects:
There are, like, five films in development that I’m excited about. One has a Big Chill vibe, and I love an ensemble like nobody’s business, and then there’s this one that’s very bizarre that I’m probably going to do after Murder Mystery 2, which is next. Murder Mystery is my 'Get me to a comedy, please, I need fart jokes,' as I crawl over the COVID finish line.
Besides her enjoyment of fart jokes, Aniston must also be excited to reunite on set with her long-term friend Sandler. He even spoke about Aniston teaming up with his wife to make sure that he stays fit and healthy while working, and joked about her making him drink green drinks on set.
Murder Mystery 2 should be just as fun as the original, and we can’t wait to see Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston on screen together again. Make sure to follow CinemaBlend for the latest news on this upcoming Netflix movie.
