Camila Mendes Is Taking ‘Upgraded’ to Italy for a Sequel, and This Time She’s Running the Show Too

Camila Mendes Is Flying Back to First Class

The sequel is officially happening. Camila Mendes is returning to Upgraded, the romantic comedy that quietly became one of Prime Video’s most watched surprises in 2024, and this time she is not just stepping back into Ana’s designer heels. The 32-year-old Riverdale alum is starring in and producing Upgraded 2, with production scheduled to begin this month in Italy. The news, first reported by The Hollywood Reporter, has fans already guessing where Ana’s story goes next, and honestly, the Italy upgrade is the perfect flex for a franchise that started with a better airplane seat.

What We Know About Upgraded 2 So Far

Plot details are still locked down, but the creative team is nearly complete, and it tells its own story. Becca Gleason is directing the follow-up, taking over from Carlson Young, who helmed the original. Gleason directed the 2018 comedy-drama Summer ’03, which premiered at SXSW, and served as a consulting producer on Amazon MGM’s hit series The Summer I Turned Pretty. She is also set to direct Alice Is Missing for Paramount, so she arrives with serious romantic storytelling credentials.

The script comes from Luke Roberts and Justin Matthews, the same duo who wrote the first film, which should reassure anyone worried the sequel might lose the original’s charm. Behind the camera, the production is a team effort: Gulfstream Pictures and Honor Role are producing, with Mike Karz and Bill Bindley representing Gulfstream, Mendes and Rachel Matthews producing for Honor Role, Lena Roklin producing for Luber Roklin Entertainment, and Piers Tempest producing for Tempo Production.

Amazon MGM Studios is backing the sequel, which will stream worldwide on Prime Video. No release date has been announced yet, and Amazon MGM has stayed quiet on where the story picks up, so speculation is officially open for business.

Why a Sequel Makes Complete Sense

For anyone who missed it the first time around, Upgraded was a modern-day Cinderella retelling with a travel industry twist. Mendes played Ana Santos, an ambitious intern at a New York art auction house whose life changes dramatically when she gets upgraded to first class on a work flight to London. That is where she meets William, played by Archie Renaux, who mistakes her for her demanding boss Claire, played by Marisa Tomei. Ana plays along, and the whole thing turns into a glamorous balancing act between a romance she wants and a career she cannot afford to lose.

The film premiered on Prime Video in February 2024 and earned a Certified Fresh 76% score on Rotten Tomatoes, no small feat for a romantic comedy in an era when the genre was supposedly dead. The mix of romance, couture, workplace comedy and genuine heart won over viewers, and it has only grown in popularity on the platform since. A sequel was practically inevitable, and the move to Italy feels like the natural escalation. If the first film was about a better airplane seat changing your life, the second seems to be about a whole new country doing the same thing.

And the timing is interesting. The romantic comedy has been enjoying a genuine comeback, and streaming services have noticed. Light, escapist love stories with glamorous settings and charming leads are performing just as well as ever, and Upgraded was ahead of that curve.

Mendes Is Producing, and That Changes Everything

The biggest development here is not really the sequel itself. It is that Mendes is producing it. After she and Matthews executive produced the original Upgraded, the pair founded Honor Role, their own production company built to champion character-driven storytelling. One of its features, Idiotka, released this year with Mendes co-starring, and now the company is stepping up to produce the sequel to the film that started it all.

This is a real pattern with Mendes right now. She has maintained a steady relationship with Amazon MGM Studios across several projects: Musica, her 2024 Prime Video film, and Masters of the Universe, where she played Teela. Her slate keeps growing too, with the sports drama Baton and the action thriller Viva La Madness both on the way. She is not waiting around for the industry to hand her roles anymore. She is building the movies she wants to star in, which is exactly the kind of career move worth paying attention to.

What Could Upgraded 2 Actually Be About?

With no plot details released, the fun part is the guessing. The original ended with Ana and William together and her career intact, so the sequel has room to play. Will Ana be back at the auction house in a bigger role? Will the move to Italy mean a new setting entirely, maybe a European art world storyline? The production filming in Italy suggests the sequel leans into the travel fantasy even harder than the first, and honestly, a rom-com set against Italian countryside and historic cities is exactly the kind of escapism audiences are craving right now.

One open question is the returning cast. Archie Renaux and Marisa Tomei were central to the first film’s magic, but nothing has been confirmed about who else is coming back. Mendes producing through Honor Role alongside Rachel Matthews suggests the creative control sits firmly with people who understand the original, so fans can expect the tone to stay true even as the scale gets bigger.

For context, this is also part of a bigger picture at Amazon MGM and Gulfstream. The two companies have several projects cooking together, including the forthcoming Honeymoon With Harry, currently in postproduction with Jake Gyllenhaal, Kevin Costner and Sarah Pidgeon, plus the upcoming Goodbye Girl starring Kiernan Shipka and Cole Sprouse, and the recent release Pretty Lethal. Upgraded 2 sits comfortably in the middle of that slate as the proven hit getting its victory lap.

The Bottom Line

Upgraded 2 is exactly the kind of announcement that feels good to hear. A beloved romantic comedy getting a sequel, its star taking creative control, and the whole production heading to Italy for filming this month. No release date yet, no plot details, but the ingredients are all there: the same writers, a proven director of romantic stories, and Camila Mendes producing her own starring vehicle through her own company.

Production starts this month, so expect set photos and casting news to roll in soon. Until then, there is always time for a rewatch of the original, preferably from a very comfortable seat. For more celebrity casting news, check out our coverage of Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein’s Office Romance connection, our look at Kylie Jenner’s Victoria’s Secret debut, and Samie Elishi’s pregnancy announcement.

Sources: JustJared, ComingSoon