Focus Features, Endeavor Content, and Makeready have announced the beginning of production for the Bill Holderman directed comedy Book Club 2 -- The Next Chapter, the sequel to the 2018 comedy Book Club. It will reunite iconic quartet of Jane Fonda (Vivian), Diane Keaton (Diane), Mary Steenburgen (Carol), and Candice Bergen (Sharon). This time, they're bringing their book club to Italy.
Andy Garcia, Don Johnson, and Craig T. Nelson will reprise their roles as Mitchell, Arthur, and Bruce, respectively. New cast joining includes Giancarlo Giannini, Hugh Quarshie, and Vincent Riotta. The film is written by Holderman and Erin Simms, with Holderman returning as director. Holderman and Simms will also serve as producers.
Book Club released in 2018 and follows four lifelong friends -- Diane, Vivian, Carol, and Sharon -- who hope to spice up their lives from their usual mundanity. To do so, the group decides to read E.L. James' provocative bestseller Fifty Shades of Grey. Armed with newfound confidence, the women begin exciting new romances and revisit past relationships. As they do, they continue to support and inspire each other through their shared journey. Bill Holderman and Erin Simms wrote the screenplay, with Holderman also directing. A new image from the upcoming sequel shows the friends taking their book club overseas.
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Per the official summary for Book Club 2 — The Next Chapter:
"the highly anticipated sequel follows our four best friends as they take their book club to Italy for the fun girls trip they never had. When things go off the rails and secrets are revealed, their relaxing vacation turns into a once-in-a-lifetime cross-country adventure."
Prior to Book Club 2, the main quartet are coming fresh off a variety of recent projects. At the end of April, Fonda completed a seven season run on the Netflix original series Grace and Frankie in which she starred opposite Lily Tomlin as Grace. Keaton lent her voice to the animated Netflix series Green Eggs and Ham as Michellee. Steenburgen recently starred in Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley, as well as the NBC series Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist and holiday movie Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas. Meanwhile, Candice Bergen starred in the film As They Made Us and guest starred in three episodes of The Conners,
Endeavor Content will finance and produce Book Club 2 -- The Next Chapter. Producers are Bill Holderman and Erin Simms. Executive Producers are Brad Weston, Trish Hofmann, Enzo Sisti, and Andrew Duncan. Julia Iglesias will oversee the project for Focus Features, who will distribute the film in the U.S. Universal Pictures International will distribute internationally.
There is currently no release date for Book Club 2 — The Next Chapter.