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What would Hollywood filmmaking be without sequels? There have been eight Mission Impossible movies, and those were based on a TV show that ran for seven seasons. Kind of makes “impossible” seem easy. The 2026 edition of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals didn’t let us down, providing two memorable and extremely different sequels.
Two Premiers
The Comeback gave us a new season and a third satirical look into the inner workings of Hollywood with Lisa Kudrow (Friends, The Opposite of Sex). She plays an actress trying for, you guessed it, a comeback.
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, a feature film follow-up to 2019’s Ready or Not, shows us that we just don’t have family problems like the film’s protagonist Grace, played by Samara Weaving (Picnic at Hanging Rock, Guns Akimbo).
I had seen neither of the works to which these productions followed up, which worried me going in. However, both stood on their own: one funny and one an action/thriller.
The Comeback
The Comeback may have set the record for TV’s most extended set of sequels. The premise remains the same for all three seasons: A former A-list actress, now D-list, tries to get noticed again. The first season premiered in 2005. The next season didn’t come around till 2014. And now it’s time for number three. You can stream all three on HBO.
Each year, Kudrow’s character takes a different approach to reestablishing herself in the movie world. The first season involves a reality show. The second season she explores an HBO series (surprise). So far, the current season’s complication comes from AI being involved in writing the show her character is interested in. It’s trendy.
Kudrow’s performance: funny, charming, and vulnerable. I’m not saying this as an old fan of Friends. I never watched that show. Maybe I’ll start. Only 235 episodes to catch up on.
Ready or Not 2
Like several other films at SXSW this year, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come blended genres and echoes of other films.
The first Ready or Not film takes place during a strange post-wedding “game” in which Samara Weaving’s character, Grace, must participate. Without giving away too much, her dress winds up bloody.
In the sequel, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, Grace discovers even more out-of-control in-laws and four rival families from whom she must rescue her sister Faith, played by Kathryn Newton (Big Little Lies, Lisa Frankenstein) and save herself.
The fighting families made me think of Game of Thrones. The collections of strange people plotting in the family mansion evoked reality TV. And when the crazies got around to hunting the sisters on the huge estate, I remembered The Island of Dr. Moreau.
The Players
The film had an impressive cast. Besides Weaving and Newton, you’ll see Elijah Wood, Sarah Michelle Gellar, David Cronenberg, Nestor Carbonell, and Shawn Hatosy.
Elijah Wood is especially impressive as “The Lawyer.” He guides the bloody proceedings with cold, legalistic precision.
Sarah Michelle Gellar plays one of the people hunting Grace. Gellar lives up to her “slayer” heritage.
You can watch the trailer for Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, currently in theaters, below.
More About SXSW
The screenings of these two awesome filmmaking projects were part of the 40th year of SXSW, which included 96 features with multiple world, international, and North American premieres
The annual event serves global professionals through sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and networking that consistently generates unexpected discoveries when diverse communities come together.
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