Nia Long Joins Storm Reid In Next Installment Of ‘Searching’ Franchise

EXCLUSIVE: Nia Long is joining Storm Reid in the next installment of the box office hit film Searching, for Sony’s Stage 6 Films. Joaquim de Almeida, Ken Leung, Amy Landecker, Daniel Henney, Megan Suri and Tim Griffin are rounding out the cast.

Searching 2 will not be a direct sequel, but rather a next installment in the Searching franchise. The plot is still under wraps, but it will feature a new set of characters where the story plays out on the screens of the characters’ devices in the Screenlife format. It is starting production in the spring.

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Will Merrick & Nick Johnson will make their directing debut on the film. The pic is being produced by Natalie Qasabian, Aneesh Chaganty and Sev Ohanian of Search Party, as well as by Bazelevs’ Adam Sidman and Timur Bekmambetov. Jo Henriquez is executive producing and Congyu E is co-producing.

Bekmambetov invented this format, and original Searching was his hit Screenlife film.

Merrick and Johnson wrote the screenplay, which is based on a story by Ohanian and Chaganty.

Most recently, Long produced and starred in the Netflix thriller Fatal Affair, which debuted at No. 1 on the platform. Additionally, she starred opposite Samuel L. Jackson and Anthony Mackie in the Apple film The Banker. Other recent film credits include Janicza Bravo’s Sundance-nominated Lemon and Netflix’s Roxanne Roxanne with Chanté Adams and Mahershala Ali. She is next set to star in the Peacock limited series The Best Man: The Final Chapters, where she will reprise her role alongside the rest of the original cast of the films.

Leung can currently be seen in HBO’s Industry and is also known for his roles on ABC’s Lost, NBC’s The Blacklist and The Night Shift. Landecker is known for her portrayal of Sarah Pfefferman on Amazon’s Transparent. Landecker most recently appeared opposite Bryan Cranston and Michael Stuhlbarg in the Showtime limited series Your Honor and the Netflix film Project Power with Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Henney became a household name in Korea after starring in the TV drama My Lovely Sam-Soon and later went on to star in the Korean series Hello Franceska, Spring Waltz and The Fugitive: Plan B. Suri previously appeared in ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat, feature film Valentine’s Day, HBO’s The Brink and Netflix’s Atypical as well as booking her first title role in The Miseducation of Bindu. Griffin recently finished filming the independent features Next Exit and The Seven Neighbours.

Long is repped by Verve, Untitled and by attorneys Neil Meyer and Emily Downs at Meyer & Downs. De Almeida is repped by APA, Lasher Group and Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson. Leung is repped by A3 Artists Agency and PH Entertainment Group. Landecker is repped by ICM Partners, Principal LA and Felker Toczek. Henney is repped by CAA and More/Medavoy. Suri is represented by Clear Talent Group, Apex Talent Group and Skrzyniarz & Mallean. Griffin is repped by Buchwald and Untitled. Bekmambetov is represented by WME and Chase Mellen III.

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