The two feature films that had audiences on edge in theaters both followed the same plot. A mysterious curse that feeds on trauma and spreads from person to person after they witness someone violently take their own life. After witnessing the act, the witness becomes the next host. Over the following days, the curse drives the new host to madness until they too commit the same act in front of a witness, passing on the curse and restarting the cycle with a new host.
The Smile film series directed by Parker Finn and distributed by Paramount Pictures consists of Smile (2022), Smile 2 (2024), and the short film Laura Hasn’t Slept (2020). Smile 2 followed fictional pop star Skye Riley (played by Naomi Scott) as she embarked on a world tour after being infected by the curse. In the film’s ending, Skye violently succumbs to the curse in front of thousands of concertgoers, passing on the curse to her entire audience.
The scale of the ending hinted strongly that Smile 2 would not be the last film in the franchise. Now, two years after the shocking ending of the second film, there are hints that a third Smile film may be in the works. Here’s everything we know so far.
In October 2025, Production Weekly, an entertainment industry publication that tracks film and TV projects, listed Smile 3 in their October 16th issue, hinting that the film was in development. According to another film tracking service, Production List, Smile 3 is reportedly in post-production as of April 2026. Neither of these claims have been officially confirmed by Finn or Paramount.
As for where the story of Smile goes next, with the curse now spreading to thousands of people, some fans have speculated that Smile 3 could go in the direction of apocalyptic horror films like Bird Box and A Quiet Place. But that’s only if the third film ends up being a sequel. According to the project summary on Production List, Smile 3 may actually be a prequel, exploring the origins of the smile curse.
The origins of the curse were briefly touched on in the first Smile film, which followed therapist Rose Cotter (played by Sosie Bacon) as she traced the chain of victims through police records, discovering that the entity feeds on trauma and that the chain of victims goes back several years. A prequel would have plenty of unexplored lore to dig into, like how the curse originated and how previous victims were able to get rid of it.
There has also been a lot of speculation about whether Parker Finn will be directing the third Smile film. According to a 2024 article by The Hollywood Reporter, Finn had teamed up with producer Robert Pattinson to work on a remake of the 1981 horror film Possession. In March 2026, responding to speculation about Smile 3, entertainment journalist Jeff Sneider said that Finn is “unlikely to direct” based on what he’s heard.
Smile (2022) grossed at over $217 million worldwide and scored 77% among verified audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Smile 2 (2024) grossed at over $138 million worldwide, scoring at 81% among verified audiences. As of the time of writing, no official release date for Smile 3 has been announced.
