The After series is made up of five books. The upcoming sequel, After We Collided, is based on the second book of the series. Anna Todd, the mastermind behind the franchise, announced the arrival of the sequel on Twitter in May last year. The racy preview of the film hit YouTube on Valentine’s Day this year and has already surpassed 2.5 million hits.
The first film in the After franchise ended quite abruptly. For a sexually charged book that started out as fan fiction for Harry Styles, the film packed little action, drama or sexuality. This caused it to not deliver quite as well as the first book did. Will the second film do what the first couldn’t? We cant wait to find out.
1. Article Summary
Although the film’s script is said to be different from the original After series of books, they are very similar.
We Focussed solely on Tessa’s perspective. After We Collided gives the viewers an insight into Hardin’s character and his mysterious past. As he finds himself in a complicated love triangle with Tessa and “F*cking Trevor,” will he win back Tessa’s heart?
The first film in the After franchise was made with a relatively lean 14 million USD. However, it proceeded to rake in over 70 million USD worldwide, hopefully paving a path for others of the franchise to follow.
2. Plot
After learning that Hardin (played by Hero Fiennes Tiffin) had betrayed her in the most embarrassing way possible, Tessa (played by Josephine Langford) does her best to try and piece her life back together. Knowing all the friends they shared were in on it didn’t help, either.
Tessa tries to move on and get away from Hardin. In turn, he sets out to prove that his feelings for her are genuine. Unsure she can endure one more broken promise, Tessa focuses on her studies.
She receives an exciting new internship at Vance Publishing, where she meets a handsome co-worker, “F*cking Trevor” (played by Dylan Sprouse). Can Hardin and Tessa’s love for each other tide through this complicated love triangle?
Directed by Roger Kumble, the star-studded cast features the likes of Josephine Langford (After), Hero Fiennes Tiffin (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), Dylan Sprouse (Suite Life of Zach and Cody) Charlie Weber (How to Get Away With Murder) and Candice King (The Vampire Diaries). Karimah Westbrook (Save the Last Dance), Rob Estes (90210), Shane Paul McGhie (Deputy), Samuel Larsen (Glee), Dylan Arnold (Halloween) and Khadijha Red Thunder (After) are also prominent members of the cast.
3. Music and Visuals
Musically directed by Justin Burnett, prominent songs featuring in the film include Poison and Wine by The Civil Wars, Chris Young’s Tomorrow and You, Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball, Breathe by Taylor Swift and Coldplay’s Shiver. Where we land by Ed Sheeran, a couple of songs by The Fray and Katy Perry’s The One That Got Away also make up the soundtrack of this film.
The entire After book series is known for its romance, dramatic tension, and explicit sexuality. The first film was rated PG-13. Anna Todd, the writer of the series, put thought into the script of the second film by asking fans of the franchise what they would like to see. As a result, the second film has been reported to be R-rated.
Although it might not generate as much revenue as the first film for its smaller audience worldwide, it will be doing justice to the books of the series, which fans find to be more important. After all, what is Netflix for?
4. Final thoughts
Social media definitely plays a large part in deciding if something is worth your time. It is interesting to note that Anna Todd started off as a writer on Wattpad. Her writing dedicated fan fiction of One Direction, Harry Styles, in particular, made her work famous almost instantly. From there, because of its readers’ immensely positive response, she converted it into a five-part series called the After franchise.
Anna Todd debuts as a screenwriter with Mario Celaya on the script for the After film franchise. Fans of the series call themselves the Afternators and remain faithful to the series despite a shift in media.
However, the film industry has stopped many of its productions with the current situation in the world and the pandemic that the coronavirus declared. Originally, After We Collided was to be released in May 2020. With the COVID-19 pandemic, it is hard to say when the second part of the After franchise will release. We can assume that that will be closer to the end of this year, at the earliest.
Predictably, the couple’s honeymoon phase is short-lived after the release of the first film. Incidentally, in the era of a global pandemic, maintaining social distance happens to be key.
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