Red, White & Royal Blue: Sarah Shahi issues rare update on sequel
The sequel will also see the return of the film's stars Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez as Prince Henry and Alex Claremont-Diaz
By Gary Grimes
Sarah Shahi has delivered a rare update on the promised Red, White & Royal Blue sequel, confirming she is on officially on board to return as her character Zahra.
Shahi, speaking to Collider, said: “Yes, I actually am returning for the sequel. Zahra is back.”
The sequel was first announced last year, with both of the original film’s stars Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez confirmed to be on board.
The film’s co-writer and director Matthew López was also confirmed to be co-writing the screenplay with Casey McQuiston, who wrote the best selling novel the film is based on.
Although no further casting announcements have been made, the confirmation of Shahi’s Zahra returning would seem to suggest that President Ellen Claremont, played by Uma Thurman, will also feature in the sequel given that Zahra is the President’s Deputy Chief of Staff.
The 2023 Amazon Prime film was a runaway success, despite facing challenges after its press tour was cancelled due to the then-ongoing writers strike. In spite of this, the film was the most watched title on the streaming platform in its first three weeks, and Amazon reported its success drove a surge in new subscribers.
“It did in one night what they thought the film would do at its best in three weeks”
“It’s still managed to break records and shatter the platforms that Amazon had at that point. I had never seen that coming. It did in one night what they thought the film would do at its best in three weeks. It was just huge,” Shahi said of the film’s mammoth success.
Last year Zakhar Perez expressed hope the franchise could stretch beyond two films. “It could be a trilogy,” he said. “I mean, could you imagine having the first queer trilogy for young people to log in and see themselves on TV?” He also said: “I would love for it to be a staple for Amazon and for people to come login and go, ‘Oh, this is my happy place, this is a teachable moment, but I also am going to laugh…”
Elsewhere in the interview, the Kissing Booth star said that the world of Red, White & Royal Blue is “aspirational and optimistic,” and an example of “a wonderful world that we could live in.”