Fact Check: Is Blake Lively's A Simple Favor based on a true story? Explained

With A Simple Favor having been dropped on Netflix on May 19, 2024, the Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick-starrer is quickly gaining a new life on streaming. Originally released in 2018, the crime comedy film follows a small-town single mother who begins to investigate the disappearance of her new mysterious friend.

As per IMDb, the synopsis of the film reads:

"Stephanie is a single mother with a parenting vlog who befriends Emily, a secretive upper-class woman who has a child at the same elementary school. When Emily goes missing, Stephanie takes it upon herself to investigate."

With so many crime films and series being based on true events, viewers may assume that A Simple Favor is also inspired by real life. However, this is not the case. The film is completely fictional and is not an adaptation of real-life events.

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A Simple Favor is based on a novel

Anna Kendrick as Stephanie Smothers (Image via Lionsgate)

The 2018 film A Simple Favor directed by Paul Feig is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by writer Darcey Bell. First published in 2017 by Harper, the thriller was the Bell's debut novel, with 20th Century Fox acquiring the film rights a year earlier.

The novel is a complete work of fiction and bears no resemblance to any real-life criminal cases. Like the film, the novel tells the story of a blogger mom, Stephanie, whose friend Emily asks her to pick her son up from school. Stephanie does so, but Emily never returns to collect her son.

After days of searching in vain, Emily is declared dead. However, Stephanie does not give up and starts her own investigation into the mysterious disappearance of her enigmatic friend.

Henry Golding in 'A Simple Favor' (Image via Lionsgate)

As per the HarperCollins website, the novel's blurb reads:

"She’s your best friend. She knows all your secrets. That’s why she’s so dangerous. A single mother's life is turned upside down when her best friend vanishes in this chilling debut thriller in the vein of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train."

While 20th Century Fox acquired the rights to the film initially, it was eventually transferred to Lionsgate in 2017. The film went on to become a critical and commercial success, grossing over $97 million at the box office against a budget of $20 million.

A sequel was announced in 2022 with Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick reprising their roles, along with Henry Golding and other original cast members.

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A Simple Favor 2 is currently in the works

Blake Lively in 'A Simple Favor' (Image via Lionsgate)

After a sequel to the black comedy film was announced in 2022, People magazine reported in a January 2023 article that filming would begin in the fall of that year.

However, filming began in the spring of 2024 when Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick were spotted in Italy shooting a wedding scene. In leaked photos shared online by various accounts on April 4, Lively was seen donning a wedding dress with Kendrick serving as a bridesmaid.

In an article dated March 28, 2024, Deadline Hollywood provided the synopsis for the film:

"In the sequel, we see the return of Stephanie and Emily as they head to the beautiful island of Capri, Italy for Emily’s extravagant wedding to a rich Italian businessman. Along with the glamorous guests, expect murder and betrayal to RSVP for a wedding with more twists and turns than the road from the Marina Grande to the Capri town square."

The sequel makes new additions to the cast such as Michele Morrone, Allison Janney, and Alex Newell, among others.

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A Simple Favor is currently available to stream on Netflix US. It is also available on Lionsgate Play and Amazon Prime Video.