Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Smile 2!
The ending ofSmile 2features a wild Skye Riley twist, and while it is exciting, it makes a potentialSmile 3so much more difficult to pull off. After the success ofSmileandSmile 2,a third movie in theSmilefranchise seems inevitable, with it having the potential to follow up on the explosive ending of the sequel. However,Smile 2creates a hurdle that is nearly impossible forSmile 3to clear, with the third movie being forced to take a wildly different route if it wants to escape this problem.
Despite being a sequel to the originalSmile,Smile 2focuses on an entirely different cast of characters, with Joel being the only returning main character from the original film. This sets theSmilefranchise up to be more of an anthology, following different characters as they become infected with the Smile Curse. This allowed forSmile 2to focus on pop star Skye Riley, with it hypothetically leaving the door open for a new type of protagonist inSmile 3. However, this will be hard to pull off due to whereSmile 2’s ending left the world of the franchise.
Smile 3 Doesn’t Have A Clear Protagonist After Smile 2’s Ending
There Are Too Many Options Now
Smile 2has an explosive twist ending, but it makes it incredibly difficult to choose a protagonist forSmile 3. At the end ofSmile 2, the Smile Entity gets to Skye Riley during the middle of one of her concerts. This causes Skye to end her own life by bashing her microphone into her head, with this occurring in front of thousands of screaming fans. TheSmilefranchise has established that anyone who sees someone die due to the Smile Entity will then become possessed themselves, meaning that every one of Skye’s fans should be part of the Smile Curse now.
Why Joel Wasn’t The Main Character Of Smile 2
Joel did appear in Smile 2, but the Kyle Gallner character didn’t have a major role, and here’s why the original Smile character was sidelined.
This creates a problem forSmile 3, as it is nearly impossible to decide who to focus on. With thousands of people now infected,there is no clear reason whySmile 3would choose to follow the story of one audience member over another. The timeline ofSmile 3will presumably see thousands of people going through what Rose Cotter and Skye Riley did in their respective movies. While this is exciting as a premise, it is hard to justify focusing on only one of these individuals for an entire movie, meaning thatSmile 3needs to do something entirely different.
Smile 2’s Ending Gets Rid Of The Mystery That Has Been At The Center Of The Franchise
Nobody Will Doubt The Smile Curse Now
Having thousands of people become infected with the Smile Curse also hurts the story ofSmile 3due to it getting rid of the mystery that has been at the core of the franchise since the very beginning.The tension of theSmilemovies has not only come from the Smile Entity’s pursuit of the protagonistsbut also the fact that nobody believes them. Rose Cotter and Skye Riley have attempted to tell people about the Smile Curse, but they were waved off as crazy, making their situations even harder.
However, this mystery and tension can no longer happen due to the end ofSmile 2. Now that Skye Riley’s public death has been seen and thousands of people have becomeinfected with the Smile Curse, it will be very difficult not to believe the possessed individuals anymore. Many people who aren’t affected by the Smile Entity will begin to believe that it is real, making the situation a bit easier for its victims.
Smile 3 Will Have To Make A Major Change After Smile 2’s Twist Ending
The Protagonist Shouldn’t Have The Smile Curse
In order to avoid the aforementioned problems,Smile 3will have to make a major change afterSmile 2’s twist ending. The best path forward is to move away from focusing on those possessed by the Smile Curse and instead focus on someone who isn’t possessed.Smile 3should follow someone who is investigating the aftermath of the Skye Riley incident, with them attempting to make sense of the mass outbreak of the Smile Entity.
Smile 2: What Was Real & What Scenes Didn’t Really Happen
The Smile entity went to new lengths to haunt its host in Smile 2, completely erasing the lines between what was real and what was a hallucination.
This would also avoid the problem of telling a similar story for the third time in a row. The horror would still be present, however, as the mass outbreak of the Smile Curse would cause suicides and murders to be happening constantly. The downfall of society would be what makesSmile 3so scary, with this type of story being the best path forward afterSmile 2.
Smile 2
Cast
Smile 2 is the sequel to the 2022 psychological horror film by director Parker Finn that centers on a therapist who witnesses a patient’s suicide, leading to a series of terrifying supernatural events. The sequel will see the return of Finn as director, with Paramount continuing distribution.
