Girls Trip 2 officially happening with original cast returning

The 2017 blockbuster Girls Trip is getting a sequel, according to Tracy Oliver, who co-wrote the story and the screenplay of the comedy flick.

Directed by Malcolm D. Lee, the Girls Trip cast included names like Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Tiffany Haddish, and Jada Pinkett Smith. They are all now expected to return for Girls Trip 2.

This time, however, the girl gang will move out of the US and set up camp in West Africa.

Oliver revealed that the sequel will be based in Ghana, more than 5,800 miles away from New Orleans, the setting of the original film.

In Girls Trip, the female friends attended the Essence Music Festival in the Louisiana city to reconnect with one another after a long time. However, Oliver said that in the sequel, the African music festival AfroFuture in Accra, the capital city of Ghana, will be in focus.

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Oliver dropped a 'definitive Girls Trip update' at a recent event

Oliver was recently at Sundance-based Variety Studio, presented by Audible, where she was promoting season two of Harlem, her Amazon Prime Video series. At the event, held on Monday, January 23, 2023, the film writer dropped a “definitive Girls Trip 2 update," and said:

“That it’s officially happening. I can say that.”

While sharing about the Ghana setting, the Stanford University graduate said:

“No one else knows this, Will Packer (original film's producer) might kill me, but we're looking to set it in Ghana.”

Oliver further informed fans that in the sequel, the ladies will attend Africa’s noted event, the Afrochella festival.

The premium cultural and music event, which started in 2019, is held at the El Wak Stadium in Accra and organized by the Culture Management Group. The latest Afrochella lineup includes names like Stonebwoy, Asake, Ayra Starr, Juls, and Meek Mill, among others.

To note, talks of a potential sequel were brought forth by Jada Pinkett-Smith in 2019. She suggested Rio de Janeiro or South Africa as possible shooting locations, and a few months later, Latifah underlined Pinkett-Smith's update.

However, Haddish stated the opposite at the time, but a year later, she said that Oliver might start working on the script and noted:

“We might decide not to even make it Girls Trip, maybe we'll do a different story just in case no one wants to make Girls Trip 2.”

Cut to present times, part two is indeed happening, but the production timeline is unknown as Oliver is yet to finalize and submit the script.

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The two-hour-long original film was quite successful

Apart from Oliver, the original film's story was written by Erica Rivinoja and Kenya Barris, while the screenplay was co-penned by Oliver and Barris.

The synopsis of the 2 hour-long film reads:

“When four lifelong friends travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival, sisterhoods are rekindled, wild sides are rediscovered, and there's enough dancing, drinking, brawling and romancing to make the Big Easy blush.”

Its principal photography commenced in late June 2016 in New Orleans, while filming started when the Essence Music Festival was held from 30 June–3 July 2016.

The Girls Trip trailer arrived in 2017 while a red band trailer was released on February 9, 2017. The film premiered on July 21, 2017, and emerged as a critical and commercial success. Made on a $19 million production budget, the flick collected a solid $140.9 million worldwide.

The Universal Pictures-backed film is currently streaming on FuboTV. You can rent or purchase it on DirecTV, Amazon, YouTube, Google Play, Redbox, Vudu, and Apple TV, among others.