A sequel, huh? Matthew López is ready to make one! A Red, White & Royal Blue sequel has officially been confirmed, with Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine set to return as Alex Claremont-Diaz and Prince Henry. TV Insider recently spoke with the sequel’s director and screenwriter about the current status of the sequel.
“I think the challenge of a sequel is that the stakes are higher than for the first film,” López said. “There isn’t a book, so you’re doing an original story. We like to say, at the risk of extreme exaggeration, that we’re doing a Godfather II here because the filmmaker and the novelist are collaborating on the second one.”
López and author Casey McQuiston are co-writing the film. “I hope, by now, the fans of the book trust me with the story. If they don’t, at least there’s Casey writing the movie with me,” he quipped.
The first film, based on McQuiston’s beloved 2019 queer romance novel, follows the love story between Alex, the First Son of the United States, and Prince Henry of Britain. Despite the obstacles standing in their way, Alex and Henry’s love prevails. Naturally, fans want to see more of Alex and Henry’s journey beyond the first film.
In crafting a follow-up film, López noted that “the opportunities are evident as well as the perils. We’re having a lot of fun. We started daydreaming, and now we are actively writing a second film. Oh, the places we could go with it. I don’t know. Who knows? We’ll find out.”
McQuiston did release a collector’s edition of her novel that included a chapter in Henry’s POV. This bonus chapter includes a time jump and gives a glimpse into Alex and Henry’s life as an engaged couple. When asked whether or not the sequel will take elements of this extra chapter, López cryptically said, “It’s possible. Anything is possible.”
The Tony Award-winner made his feature directorial debut with Red, White & Royal Blue. “Every filmmaker should be so lucky as to have their first movie get a sequel,” López said. “It was such an exciting thing to watch the film go out in the world last summer. It’s exciting to have so much wind at our backs and so much support.”
A release date for the Red, White & Royal Blue sequel has yet to be announced.