A long anticipated sequel to the hit 2023 romantic comedy “Red, White & Royal Blue” is officially in development at Amazon MGM Studios, with stars Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez set to return.
Matthew López, who co-wrote and directed the first film, is returning to write the screenplay with Casey McQuiston, who wrote the best selling novel of the same name. The cast and filmmakers made the announcement on Thursday following a special screening of the movie in Culver City, California.
The original film chronicles how the First Son of the United States, Alex Claremont-Diaz (Perez), and Prince Henry (Galitzine), third in line to the British throne, navigate the classic trajectory of transforming from bitter enemies into passionate lovers, while having to keep their relationship from going public and becoming international media sensations. (Spoiler alert: It does.)
Along with the announcement, Amazon released a teaser poster for the sequel.
As with McQuiston’s novel, which became a New York Times bestseller when it debuted in 2019, “Red, White & Royal Blue” rocketed to the top of Amazon Prime Video’s Top 10 movie list and instantly went viral on social media when it premiered on the streamer in August 2023, leading to inevitable speculation about a sequel. In November 2023, McQuiston hinted at that possibility to Out magazine.
“Of course, I would love to,” they said about working on a sequel, before adding with a wink, “I don’t think I’m allowed to say anything more than that — at this point.”
No plot details were announced, so it’s unclear who else among the original cast — including Uma Thurman as Alex’s mother, President Ellen Claremont; Clifton Collins Jr. as Sen. Oscar Diaz, Alex’s father; Sarah Shahi as Zahra, President Claremont’s deputy chief of staff; Rachel Hilson as Nora, Alex’s best friend; and Stephen Fry as King James III, Henry’s grandfather — will also reprise their roles. Amazon MGM has also not yet announced whether the sequel will premiere on streaming or receive a theatrical release.
Since the film’s premiere, Galitzine and Perez have been fixtures on the FYC circuit, and Galitzine has also been busy promoting his starring roles in the Starz limited series “Mary & George” (as the consort of King James I) and the Prime Video romance “The Idea of You” (as a boy band member who romances Anne Hathaway).
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