Upgraded 2 Starts Filming in Venice With Leslie Bibb and Camila Mendes
Cameras are rolling in Venice on Upgraded 2, the sequel to Amazon MGM Studios' 2024 romantic comedy Upgraded. Variety reports that filming began on October 21.
Leslie Bibb and Camila Mendes star. Mendes returns as Ana Santos, who in the new film tries to make her mark at the Venice Biennale, the city's long-running art exhibition. Deadline announced Bibb's casting opposite Mendes on October 23.
Becca Gleason is directing. She takes over from Carlson Young, who directed the first film. The screenplay is by Luke Roberts and Justin Matthews, who also wrote the original.
The crew has filmed in some of the city's best-known spots. Scenes have been shot on the terrace of Ca' Giustinian, the Biennale's headquarters on the Grand Canal, at Palazzo Franchetti near the Accademia bridge, and at the Moro Venice restaurant. Luca Tranchino is production designer.
The schedule runs in two stages. The production will shoot for 12 days in Venice, then move to Rome for 33 days.
The film has several producers. Mike Karz and Bill Bindley are producing for Gulfstream Pictures. Mendes and Rachel Matthews are producing for Honor Role. Lena Roklin represents Luber Roklin Entertainment, and Piers Tempest represents Tempo Production. Colorado Film, an Italian company, is executive producer.
Shooting in Venice is a reminder of how much a film's setting shapes its schedule. Each location needs its own permissions and its own working day, and a city as busy as Venice keeps the crew moving between sites. For a sequel, the change of director and the return of its cast and writers keep a link to the first film while the story moves to new places.
