Camila Mendes’ Upgraded is back with a sequel

Well, this should get the Camila Mendes fandom moving again. The romantic comedy she fronted on Prime Video last year, Upgraded, is officially getting a sequel. Yes, they're calling it Upgraded 2, and no, before you ask, there are zero new subtitles or complicated names. Hollywood's gone minimalist, apparently.

Filming for the sequel starts this month in Italy.

If you somehow missed the first film, it was Mendes paired with Archie Renaux (yes, him from Shadow and Bone), spinning a very modern retake on Cinderella: Mendes played Ana Santos, an art world intern from New York who bumps into the man of her dreams after blagging her way into first class on a flight to London. Plenty of hijinks ensued, plus a surprisingly solid supporting cast—Marisa Tomei, Lena Olin, Anthony Head, Thomas Kretschmann, Grégory Montel, Rachel Matthews, the works.

New Faces Calling the Shots

There is a bit of a shake-up behind the camera this time. Becca Gleason, previously responsible for Summer '03 (starring Joey King if your memory goes deep enough) and also heading up Alice Is Missing for Paramount, has signed up to direct. The first one was helmed by Carlson Young, so it's not a total reunion, but expect the writers to keep things on track—Luke Roberts and Justin Matthews, the duo behind the first script, are back at their laptops for the sequel.

Production and Who's Running the Show

The producers' list is running a bit like a film finance conference—you've got Gulfstream Pictures (with Mike Karz and Bill Bindley producing), plus Honor Role's team headed up by Mendes herself and Rachel Matthews. Add Lena Roklin in for Luber Roklin Entertainment and Piers Tempest for Tempo Production, and you get the sense that everyone wanted a seat at this table.

• Filming location: Italy, kicking off this month
• Director: Becca Gleason
• Screenwriters: Luke Roberts & Justin Matthews, returning from the first film
• Production companies: Gulfstream Pictures, Honor Role, Luber Roklin Entertainment, Tempo Production
• Prime Video release planned worldwide, no date yet

As for Mendes, her schedule is getting absolutely packed. She just hopped off that Masters of the Universe set—she played Teela opposite Nicholas Galitzine's He-Man—and she's already lined up for the sports drama Baton and the action-packed Viva La Madness. Not a dull moment in 2026 for her, clearly.