Smile 2 casts Aladdin's Naomi Scott as the horror sequel's lead

Smile 2 has found its lead – Naomi Scott is set to star in the highly anticipated horror sequel.

The original movie stars Sosie Bacon as a therapist who witnesses the suicide of one of her patients, and is subsequently haunted by a string of eerily smiling people. Plot details for the sequel are being kept under wraps, but we can assume the movie will see Scott's character haunted by a similar mysterious entity. 

Directed by Parker Finn in his feature debut, Smile made over $200 million at the box office against a budget of $17 million when it was released in September 2022. Smile also experienced the lowest drop in viewings during week two of release for a horror film since Get Out in 2017. Finn is back on board for the sequel as writer and director. 

Scott is best known for playing Princess Jasmine in Disney's live-action remake of Aladdin, released back in 2019. Directed by Guy Ritchie, she shared the screen with Will Smith's Genie and Mena Massoud's Aladdin. 

She also recently starred in the Netflix series Anatomy of a Scandal, as well as 2017's Power Rangers and 2019's Charlie's Angels. Her next roles are in the sci-fi movie Distant, alongside Anthony Ramos and Zachary Quinto, and the A24 film Wizards!, opposite Pete Davidson, Orlando Bloom, and Passages' Franz Ragowski.

Smile 2 is set to be released on October 18, 2024. In the meantime, fill out your watch list with our picks of the other best upcoming horror movies on the way next year.