After only a weekend on Netflix, The Half of It already had viewers wondering: Will there be a sequel? If you’ve seen the teen rom-com, you’d know that the opportunity is definitely there. And like you, we’re watching out for The Half of It 2’s release date, spoilers, and news like hawks.
Here’s what we know for certain: The Half of It premiered on May 1 and stars Leah Lewis as Ellie Chu, a bookish teen who uses her writing skills to pen essays—and on this occasion—love letters for hire. In the film, a lovestruck jock named Paul enlists Ellie to help woo his crush. But just as Ellie agrees, she realizes that Paul’s crush just so happens to be the girl she’s in love with, too. And so ensues the queer love story of our dreams, adding onto Netflix’s canon of high school romances à la To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.
Director Alice Wu apparently also drew from her own experiences in writing The Half of It. “My best friend in college was a straight white guy. He helped me accept myself as gay more than anyone,” she told Washington Blade. “But his new girlfriend was wary of our relationship, despite knowing I was gay, and slowly, ineffably, the delicate calculus of our connection eroded.”
Image: Netflix/KC Bailey.
Without spoiling anything, let’s just say that this “messy” love story ends in a place that leaves plenty of room for a sequel. But will there be one? Here’s everything we know about The Half of It 2 on Netflix so far.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Has Netflix confirmed a sequel?
At the time of writing, Netflix has yet to announced The Half of It 2. But given that the original film, The Half of It, was just released in May 2020, there’s still plenty of time to expect an update. Netflix likes to see how its original films and series perform before making any commitments to a follow-up. Seeing as how The Half of It trended on the streaming platform upon its release, it’s likely only a matter of time. And, of course, up to writer and director Alice Wu to sign on for a second installment.
At least actress Leah Lewis, who plays Ellie in the original film, is on board for a sequel. She spoke to us here at STYLECASTER in May 2020, and shared the following: “I have not heard of any sequel, but I would totally be down for it.”
Netflix.
What’s the release date?
With worldwide film and television production cancelations still ongoing due to current social distancing measures, The Half of It 2 is probably farther away than we’d hope. If filming can pick up during 2021 at the earliest, fans can likely hope to see the sequel by 2022.
Netflix.
What will it be about?
In a May 2020 interview with STYLECASTER, actress Leah Lewis revealed what she thinks a The Half of It sequel would look like. “If I were to guess—and this is based on no one telling me anything, I promise you I feel like Ellie would go to college and she would keep in touch with Aster and obviously keep in touch with Paul because Paul and her are besties now,” she said.
She added, “I think the next chapter for Ellie is having to navigate through realizing that she now has these feelings for another girl and trying to maintain her friendship with Paul, given the fact that he just confessed his love to her and also used to be in love with Aster.”
