Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin are set to return with the sequel of the smash hit ‘After.’ The movie has been greenlit for a second instalment by Voltage Pictures at the Cannes Film Festival, reports Deadline. Based on Anna Todd’s bestselling Adult Book series of the same name, the steamy sequel reprises the lead actors Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes-Tiffin as lovers Tessa and Hardin.
The first movie, which started out on the fan-fiction website Wattpad, went onto become a surprise hit at the international box office with a gross of over $52M. Made with a modest budget of $14M, ‘After’ captured the top spot in 17 international markets and became a sensation in European markets like Germany. The movie also earned well from the Russian and Scandinavian territories.
Anna Todd, Jennifer Gibgot, Aron Levitz and Eric Lehrman of Wattpad, and Mark Canton and Courtney Solomon of CalMaple produce the sequel. Voltage’s Nicolas Chartier and Jonathan Deckter join the project as executive producers along with Andrew Panay. Todd co-wrote the script with Mario Celaya. No director has been attached to the project so far.
“We’ve already seen what this magic mix of a compelling narrative, extremely hardworking talent and insatiable fans can do at the box-office on After,” Deckter is quoted as saying by Deadline. “We partnered with incredibly strategic international distributors on the first instalment of ‘After,’ who were able to unlock the film’s immense value and we can’t wait to get back to work on the second.”
“I am beyond excited to begin the sequel to After! The fans made the first film a worldwide success and we are ready to bring them more of Hardin and Tessa in the sequel. This next film will truly capture the heart and feel of the books,” said Todd, reports Deadline.
The first installment of ‘After,’ which comes with the tagline “After your first, life will never be the same,” is a teen drama following Tessa (played by Langford), a first-semester student. Everything in her life seems quite perfect. She is known as a dedicated and hardworking student. At home, Tessa is a responsible daughter. She is loyal to her high school sweetheart. She is keen to keep everything in her life so intact and ordered, including an ambitious future.
But the moment she crosses the path with the dark and mysterious Hardin Scott (played by Tiffin), he brings along chaos, passion, craziness, and rebellion into her life. He turns her perception of herself and the world upside down. ‘After,’ which was released on April 12, 2019, by Aviron Pictures, is directed by Jenny Gage from a screenplay she co-wrote with Susan McMartin and Tamara Chestna.
The other cast in the first movie includes Selma Blair, Jennifer Beals, Peter Gallagher, Shane Paul McGhie, and Shane Paul McGhie among others. Courtney Solomon, Mark Canton, Jennifer Gibgot, Anna Todd, Aron Levitz, Meadow Williams, and Dennis Pelino were the producers of the first flick.
