Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick’s ‘Another Simple Favor’ to Open 2025 SXSW Festival

AUSTIN, Texas — The 2025 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film and TV Festival will kick off with the world premiere of ‘Another Simple Favor,’ the highly anticipated sequel starring Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick. The film, directed by Paul Feig, will debut as the festival’s opening night feature on March 7 in Austin, Texas.

The sequel, which follows the 2018 noir comedy, reunites Lively and Kendrick as their characters, Emily Nelson and Stephanie Smothers, for another twist-filled adventure. This time, the duo heads to a wedding in Capri, Italy, where murder and betrayal await. The film will later stream on Prime Video starting May 1.

Director Paul Feig expressed his excitement about returning to SXSW, where he previously premiered hits like ‘Bridesmaids‘ and ‘Spy.’ ‘I couldn’t be more thrilled to be back at my favorite festival in the world,’ Feig said in a statement. ‘These characters were just too much fun not to revisit.’

The announcement comes amid a legal battle between Lively and Justin Baldoni, her co-star and director in the 2024 film ‘It Ends With Us.’ In December, Lively sued Baldoni and others, alleging sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign. Baldoni responded with a $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. Both parties have denied the allegations.

Feig defended Lively, calling her ‘one of the most professional, creative, collaborative, talented, and kind people I’ve ever worked with.’ He added, ‘She truly did not deserve any of this smear campaign against her.’

Kendrick, who recently made her directorial debut with ‘Woman of the Hour,’ shared her enthusiasm for reuniting with Lively. ‘Those characters have such weird chemistry that it’s so fun to just get the gang back together,’ she told PEOPLE in October 2024. ‘It does feel a little bit like riding a bike.’

The SXSW festival, now in its 32nd year, will run from March 7 to 14. In addition to ‘Another Simple Favor,’ the event will feature the premiere of Seth Rogen‘s Hollywood comedy series ‘The Studio.’