He may have avoided getting the knife in The White Lotus, but Lukas Gage is pushing his luck in the horror genre. According to Deadline, Gage has landed a starring role in the upcoming untitled sequel to Smile.
Gage will star opposite Aladdin’s Naomi Scott—the Disney/Demon Twink combo we’ve been waiting for. No details about the plot have yet been released, but the film is already slated for release on October 18, 2024.
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The first film was a huge commercial hit, grossing over $217 million at the box office. In the vein of It Follows and The Ring, the creepypasta-esque Smile concerned a viral supernatural event.
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“After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can’t explain,” the synopsis reads. “As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.”
Following the positive reception to Smile, director Parker Finn has signed a multi-year contract with Paramount Pictures. “Smile’s breakthrough success is a testament to Parker’s unique and fresh filmmaking, and we are thrilled that he will make Paramount his home,” Paramount CEO Brian Robbins said in a statement. “Parker knows how to keep people on the edge of their seat and we’re happy that we get to keep scaring audiences together.”
Based on the fact that the release date has already been chosen, it sounds like we’re going to get Smile sequels like clockwork for the next several years. Do we expect these films to be cinematic horror masterpieces? Probably not. But Gage is no stranger to camping it up onscreen.
After getting his start on the irreverent dick-drawing mystery American Scandal, Gage became a recognizable face (or butt) for The White Lotus’ now iconic rim job scene. Recently, he channeled demon twink energy starring alongside Zachary Quinto in the gay black comedy Down Low. While we wait for the Smile sequel, you can catch Gage playing Lars Olmstead in FX’s Fargo.