Writer/director Parker Finn’s sequel to his 2022 horror film Smile (read our review HERE, watch the movie HERE) is aiming for an October 18th theatrical release date, and in Smile 2 we’ll be following a new lead character: pop star Skye Riley, played by Naomi Scott of Aladdin and Charlie’s Angels. A couple of months ago, billboards promoting this previously unheard of pop star started popping up in Los Angeles and London, and a Skye Riley fan account appeared on Instagram, with an official website also arriving online. Now, a month away from Smile 2‘s release date, the fictional pop star has released a new single called “Grieved You.” A promotional video can be seen in the embed above, and the full song can be found at THIS LINK.

The fact that the lead character is a pop star was first revealed in the trailer that was shown to attendees of the CinemaCon event back in April. JoBlo’s own Lance Vlcek was in attendance and wrote this report: Story appears to be set around a Taylor Swift type of mega-star artist (Naomi Scott) who gets sucked into the curse of Smile. The sequel has a bigger budget and slicker look, seems to be bigger in scope. There was a very cool scene where a crowd of people under control of the entity are in a tight backstage hallway chasing Naomi Scott, all of them smiling in that creepy way. Plot-wise, it doesn’t give much away. It was a montage of creepy imagery, jump scares, and a whole lot of creepy people smiling.

Smile was based on Finn’s short film Laura Hasn’t Slept (watch it HERE), which won the Special Jury Recognition Prize in SXSW’s Midnight Short category. Caitlin Stasey (Neighbours) played the title character in that short, and reprises the role in Smile, making it a follow-up of sorts. Smile has the following synopsis: After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can’t explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.

Here’s the Smile 2 synopsis: About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.

Smile was produced by Temple Hill, and they are producing Smile 2 as well. Scott is joined in the cast by Lukas Gage of The White Lotus and You, Rosemarie DeWitt of La La Land and the Poltergeist remake, Dylan Gelula of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Dream Scenario, Raúl Castillo of Army of the Dead and Knives Out, Miles Gutierrez-Riley of The Wilds and On The Come Up, and Kyle Gallner (Red State), reprising the role he played in the first movie.

Are you looking forward to Smile 2? What did you think of Skye Riley’s new single? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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