We’re getting a royal ‘I do’!
Red, White & Royal Blue announced that there will be a sequel film, and this time it will focus on a gay wedding.
The long-awaited follow-up, titled Red, White & Royal Wedding, is finally in the works, and this week, it was announced that Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez will be reprising their roles, with But I’m a Cheerleader’s Jamie Babbit set to direct.
The first film was based on Casey McQuiston’s novel of the same name, but since they have yet to write a sequel, the second film won’t have source material to draw on. Luckily, McQuiston and Matthew López (who directed the first movie) are set to write the screenplay for the new movie.
Without a novel to adapt, the new movie can go in any direction — although it looks like we’re guaranteed a wedding at the very least — which means we could finally get some of the things fans have been dreaming of since the first movie dropped. But, of course, there is also a risk that it could drift too far away from what made the original an instant hit with fans.
When the original film premiered back in 2023, fans went wild for the sweet romance and the chemistry between stars Galitzine and Zakhar Perez, but now that we’re guaranteed at least one sequel, what are we hoping to see, and what we hope stays on the cutting room floor?
What we hope to see
1. The proposal
The title of the upcoming movie suggests there will be a wedding, but we’re hoping they don’t gloss over the proposal. We want to see Alex down on one knee, giving a heartwarming speech and asking Henry to marry him. If the movie starts with wedding planning, we’ll be disappointed — we don’t want to miss out on their special moment!
2. Another cake mishap
The enemies-to-lovers rivalry all started with Alex and Henry falling into a cake together so it seems fitting that there should be some kind of repeat performance at their own wedding.
3. Don't forget the side characters
McQuiston excels at writing compelling and funny side characters, but the first movie didn’t explore this enough. We want to see lots of quirky side character interactions and above all else, more Zahra!
4. Politics
Hear us out! When the first film came out in 2023, we were well past Trump’s first reign of terror, and a Democrat was in office, so things felt more hopeful. The idea of Alex and Henry getting married was always a fantasy, but now the very existence of an out gay First Son seems outlandish. So in the sequel, we’d love to see them tackle the current political climate, but with the film’s signature humor.
5. A new sex position
Prime Video
Straight people were shocked to find out that gay men can have missionary sex when they saw the first movie, so let’s shock them again! The movie needs to get creative and show the boys in a new compromising position.
6. And, of course, the wedding
Duh. We want to see Alex and Henry get their happily ever after and walk down the aisle at a lavish wedding with all of their friends and family there to celebrate with them.
What we don't want to see
1. A rushed plot
While the first film was a lot of fun and is a fan-favorite for a reason, the enemies-to-lovers plot felt rushed, and there wasn’t nearly enough gay longing for our liking. So this time around, we don’t want them to rush the characters to the altar. Allow the chemistry to build, and their relationship to develop without sprinting toward “I do.”
2. A rehash of the first film
Prime Video
In any rom-com, even a sequel, there has to be conflict, but what we don’t want to see is a rehash of the arguments from the first film that kept Alex and Henry apart. Give us fresh conflict, and then great makeup sex!
3. Sanitized gay sex
Speaking of sex, some fans complained — and we agreed — that while we loved the scene where Alex and Henry have sex for the first time, it was too tame and there should have been more of it. Yes, it’s a fun and light-hearted rom-com, but we also want it to ooze sexuality. We loved the tender and affectionate moments between the two main characters (please give us more of that), but we also want it to be hot! The first film was rated R and if the sequel follows suit, we’re hoping they don’t tone down the sex scenes this time around.
4. Cutting June out…again
June, Alex’s older sister and a key part of the book, was entirely left out of the movie adaptation. In the novel, June is Alex’s confidant, and even fakes dates Henry to keep them from getting caught. Characters and plot lines always have to be cut for adaptations to work, but excising June was a mistake, one we hope they rectify in the sequel.
5. Cheesy dialogue
Listen, RWBW was a lot of fun, but we can all admit that some of the dialogue was super cheesy. So let’s leave that behind in favor of smart writing, funny jokes, and clever barbs.
We probably won’t get everything we want out of a sequel, but we love the characters enough that we hope it’s not the last one they make. Zakhar Perez thought “it could be a nice trilogy,” so maybe we’ll get a third movie too!
