Pack your ziplines and grapefruits, the Girls Trip sequel takes us to West Africa.
Writer, director and producer Tracy Oliver, who co-wrote the 2017 original, joined Variety Studio presented by Audible in Sundance and provided an update on the anticipated reunion of Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith and Tiffany haddish
Oliver, at the festival to promote the second season of her Amazon Prime Video series Harlem, said she has a “final ‘Girls Trip 2’ update. It’s officially happening. I can say that.” She also provided a plot update, and while the film’s producer, Will Packer, “could kill me, we want to play him in Ghana.”
One of Oliver’s “Harlem” stars, actor Shoniqua Shandai, yelled “Afrochella!” after Oliver dropped the message. It refers to the annual Afrogella Festival, Ghana’s premier cultural and musical event, which takes its name from the American flower crown convention, Coachella. Oliver confirmed the “Girls Trip” ladies will be trying to attend the festival, which has attracted prominent musical acts from the area, including Beyoncé’s collaborator Shatte Wale. A production schedule is unknown as Oliver has yet to submit her script.
The first “Girls Trip” was a major box office hit, grossing $140 million worldwide on a modest budget of $16 million. Malcolm D. Lee directed the project, which was produced by Packer and written by Olvier and Kenya Barris from a story they conceived with Erica Rivinoja. It also propelled the recently contested Haddish to superstardom.
Oliver has been on a festival trip over the past year and premiered her acclaimed horror comedy The Blackening at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. The film, directed by Tim Story, has been acquired by Liosngate after TIFF and will be released next June 16th.
Harlem, starring Meagan Good, Grace Byers, Jerrie Johnson and Shandai, will debut its second season on Prime Video beginning February 3 in a weekly rollout.
Watch the full interview below: