Camila Mendes Is Getting Upgraded Again, and the Sequel Starts Filming in Venice Today

Pack your carry-on, Ana is flying again! Camila Mendes is set to return for Amazon MGM Studios' Upgraded 2, with production beginning this month in Italy, The Hollywood Reporter reports. The sequel will stream worldwide on Prime Video.

Back as Ana, and now the boss

In the 2024 original, Mendes played Ana, an art auction house intern whose path changes dramatically after she is upgraded to first class on a flight to London, per THR. The film, which also starred Archie Renaux and Marisa Tomei and was directed by Carlson Young, launched on Prime Video in February 2024 and is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, THR notes.

Camila Mendes is returning to star in and will produce Upgraded 2, with production beginning this month in Italy. pic.twitter.com/grtEPZE02t

— Amazon MGM Studios (@AmazonMGMStudio) October 19, 2026

Plot details for the sequel have not been shared, per THR. The new film is directed by Becca Gleason, with a script from Luke Roberts and Justin Matthews, who wrote the first film.

Why fans wanted a sequel

The first Upgraded hit Prime Video on Feb. 9, 2024, and holds a 76% Tomatometer score from 51 critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, where it carries the Certified Fresh badge. The site's Critics Consensus calls it "an appealing option for anyone seeking a good old-fashioned rom-com." Gulfstream financed that film, per THR.

Mendes has kept working with Amazon MGM since then, through features like Música and Masters of the Universe, THR reports.

The twist: Camila is producing it

This time Mendes is a producer too. After she and Rachel Matthews executive produced the original, the pair founded Honor Role to champion character-driven storytelling, and Honor Role is producing the sequel alongside Gulfstream Pictures, THR reports. Its features include this year's Idiotka, in which Mendes also co-stars, per THR.

Per THR, the producers are Mike Karz and Bill Bindley for Gulfstream Pictures, Mendes and Matthews for Honor Role, Lena Roklin for Luber Roklin Entertainment and Piers Tempest for Tempo Production.

Lights, camera, Venice

And the cameras roll today. A city notice reported by VeneziaToday lists filming from Oct. 20 to 31 at several central spots, with restrictions on foot and boat traffic.

Among them, per VeneziaToday: the Ca' Giustinian area, headquarters of La Biennale, on Oct. 20 and 31 (roughly 8 a.m. to noon local time); Palazzo Barbaro near Campo Santo Stefano, with boats staged at the Accademia, on Oct. 20; Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti at the Accademia on Oct. 21; and Campo dell'Erbaria at Rialto on Oct. 23. The notice also lists Campo SS. Giovanni e Paolo and Fondamenta dei Felzi on Oct. 22. VeneziaToday notes times can change due to weather or other surprises.

A rom-com set against Venice palazzi? We're already obsessed.

Gleason made her feature directorial debut with Summer '03, which premiered at SXSW, and was a consulting producer on Amazon MGM's The Summer I Turned Pretty, THR reports. She is also attached to direct Alice Is Missing for Paramount, per THR.

For more screen news, catch our Ted Lasso seasons 5 and 6 update.