The 'Smile 2' Trailer Has a Sly But Thrilling Nepo Baby Shot

At SXSW this year, we saw a creepy/fun film from Cazzie David called I Love You Forever about a guy who was too good to be true. I gathered almost immediately that, despite how otherwise charming this guy was, he was going to be bad news. I could tell because he was played by Ray Nicholson, and he had his dad’s creepy vibes written all over him. He was great.

I don’t know how much he is featured in Smile 2, and given the relatively below-the-radar career he’s had, it may be little more than a glorified cameo. But he makes a split-second appearance in the trailer for Smile 2, and you can feel the “Here’s Johnny” energy exuded in that smile. Talk about a dead ringer. He almost looks like an AI-generated young version of his dad.

I really dug the first Smile, a wicked low-budget horror movie catapulted by its viral marketing campaign. The sequel stars Naomi Scott, best known as Jasmine in the live-action Alladin. If the trailer doesn’t immediately get your attention, just wait until Lukas Gage shows up. That should do the trick.

Smile 2 hits theaters on October 18th, and thanks to the success of Inside Out 2, I’m confident that theaters will actually still exist on October 18th. Thanks, Pixar!