The horror genre has been thriving for a number of years now, with some of the best horror movies returning to theaters with new sequels. But there have also been some great original concepts, which are growing into burgeoning franchises. That includes upcoming horror movies like Smile 2, and the first trailer revealed Naomi Scott's Lady Gaga-esque protagonist, as well as some gnarly kills.
What we know about Smile 2 is limited, which is why this first trailer is going to turn so many heads. The ending of Smile didn't turn out well for its protagonist, so it makes sense that we're following another story. Naomi Scott is going to be both singing and screaming as Skye Riley, and she's understandably horrified by seeing someone kill themselves with a weight right in front of her.
The trailer for Smile 2 opens with Scott's Skye Riley, who is seemingly a pop star with a great career. But her friend, played by Lukas Gage, is seemingly a victim to the same curse from the original movie. And when he appears with a menacing smile and then kills himself with a weight plate, the drama hits the fan.
This change of final girls and circumstances is seemingly going to prevent Smile 2 from being a rehash of the original. Skye Riley is a public figure, so she won't be able to hide away to avoid the smiling curse. She'll no doubt see smiling faces at her concerts, which should be thoroughly creepy. The final scene in this teaser is perhaps the most unsettling, with Naomi Scott's character signing the t-shirt of a smiling young fan during a meet and greet.
It should be fun to see how Paramount ends up marketing Smile 2. For the first movie, Smile went viral when creepy smiling figures began popping up during major sports events. This helped to buoy excitement for the project, while Smile's reviews were also positive. So perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that a sequel was quickly ordered and filmed by the studio.
This role seems like a perfect one for Naomi Scott. After all, she showed off her vocal talents when Scott became a Disney Princess for Aladdin. I'm curious to see how many songs she recorded for Smile 2 to play Skye Riley. Will we be getting a full blown album ala A Star Is Born, or just two big songs like Natalie Portman's pop star drama Vox Lux? Only time will tell, but that's another fun way that the sequel will stand out from its predecessor.
All will be revealed when Smile 2 hits theaters on October 18th, just in time for Spooky Season. In the meantime, check the 2025 movie release dates to plan your movie experiences for next year.
