Abhiroop Das
Helmed by Parker Finn, ‘Smile 2‘ continues from the grim ending of ‘Smile,’ jumping ahead six days to trace the Smile Entity’s next course of action. Following the death of Joel, the curse makes its way to Skye Riley, a pop star on the cusp of a comeback, who is hiding the fact that she killed her own partner. By the end of the movie, however, Skye’s hallucinations end up dominating her waking reality, and an entire sequence of her seemingly defeating the entity turns out to be made up. Instead, the Smile Entity directs her to the stage, where thousands of fans have to watch her die by suicide, and inflict the curse on all of them. Months after the release of the second film, Paramount Pictures confirmed that a third installment is on the way, and while we don’t know the exact release window as of writing, in the best-case scenario, fans can expect ‘Smile 3’ to hit the screens in 2027.
Smile 3 Will Likely Feature a Smile Apocalypse
After two movies largely driven by singular characters, ‘Smile 3’ might just do a genre shift and move towards apocalyptic horror, considering the escalating implications from the ending of ‘Smile 2.’ Unless the ritual becomes void in some way, as many as tens of thousands of people might just have been cursed by the Smile Entity. In this case, in seven days or less, they will most likely kill themselves, that too in the company of the next target. This chain reaction can be very hard to hide or ignore, which means the next sequel will have to approach the story through a wider lens. Fans can expect the police, or perhaps even more powerful forces, to get involved in this supernatural fiasco, which is bound to invite more drama and chaos to the movie.
While the ‘Smile’ series is the brainchild of Parker Finn, it’s still uncertain whether the upcoming third film will have him in the director’s chair. Following insider claims about his potential exit from the series, Finn was also revealed to be writing, directing, and producing the ‘Possession’ remake. Given that both movies are set to release in 2027, it’s possible that scheduling issues might factor into his involvement with ‘Smile 3.’ The third movie, as such, might come with a fresh directorial voice, while retaining the lore and iconic horror elements that have made the franchise so successful. The two movies have already established their own visual and narrative styles that are distinct from those of other contemporary horror films, and the sequel is expected to add another feather to that cap.
Smile 3 Might Bring Back Peter Jacobson as Morris
Just because ‘Smile’ and ‘Smile 2’ tell one continuous story doesn’t necessarily mean that the third film will follow suit. However, the general pattern of an entirely new cast, with some recurring characters, is likely to continue. If there’s one character who has the strongest chance of reappearing in the sequel, it is Morris, who might be the only person alive to understand what the curse is and how it can be stopped. This means that the actor Peter Jacobson might have an extended role in the sequel, potentially as a mentor figure, if not the main character himself.
Some other characters who also have a chance of coming back are Skye’s mother, Elizabeth Riley, and her company’s head, Darius Bravo, and others in her managing team. The reason for that is simply because they locked eyes with Skye as she killed herself, and are most likely on a seven-day timer before the curse takes its course. While this doesn’t confirm the reappearance of actors like Rosemarie DeWitt and Darius Bravo, the possibility is there. For the most part, though, the film will likely welcome a brand new cast, the details of which have not been revealed by the creators.
Smile 3 Can Give the Smile Entity a Backstory
For two movies straight, the ‘Smile’ series has had protagonists who were afflicted with the curse and then died, but that pattern seems to have gone stale. With viewers expecting the protagonist of the third film to also be met with a twisted fate, the creators have a chance to pull the story in a completely different direction. For one, Morris might still be around, and given that his hypothesis is never actually tested outside of a dream sequence, this might be his golden chance to find a cure or get rid of the entity for good. Another possibility is to completely flip the narrative direction and create a prequel series, detailing how the entity came to be, or how Morris’ brother became a target. This preserves the ambiguity of the second film, while adding to the overall lore, but ultimately still remains one possibility among many.
A broader theme shared by the two movies is that the Smile Entity appears to prey on people’s worst characteristics, especially when they have skeletons in their closets. By unearthing their darkest secrets and forcing them to lose control, the entity feeds on the resulting fear, effectively mocking them. However, apart from these symbolic readings, we hardly know anything about its origins, biology, or whether it is even real. If the flesh monster that appears in both movies is indeed its real form, then the only people who can touch and potentially kill it are those who are cursed. The third movie, as such, might expand on the entity’s lore while using this large pool of cursed characters to create a multi-perspective narrative, potentially even killing the demon for good.
Read More: Smile 2 Ending Explained: Does Skye Die? Is Everyone Cursed Now?
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