Will We Ever Get The DUFF 2?
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One of the most commonly used tropes in the romantic-comedy genre is the "popular kid giving the unpopular student a makeover." It's almost Shakespearian how a person feels like they have to change who they are to obtain whatever the goal is. This trend can be seen across the last few decades with "She's All That," "10 Things I Hate About You," and "The DUFF."
That last entry is one of the most recent films to enter this subgenre. It's your classic high school comedy where quirky Bianca (Mae Whitman) learns she's the D.U.F.F. (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) of her social group. It doesn't exactly sit well with her, so she embarks on a mission to go from "not" to "hot." To do this, she enlists the help of her old friend, Wesley (Robbie Amell), who's now the school's football star. If he helps her look and become more popular, she'll help him pass science. They don't set out to date each other, but they can't help it when feelings start to form.
It's a fun film for teens with some good messages to learn about being popular. So is there "The DUFF 2" that could come to fruition where we see how Bianca and Wesley are doing? The answer is, "Kind of."
Another 'DUFF' book is out there, but there's no word of a movie sequel
Sequels to romantic comedies are rare but not unheard of. An entire trilogy manifested from "To All the Boys I've Loved Before," so a sequel to "The DUFF" wouldn't be out of the question. The movie was a modest success when it first came out. It received 73% positive reviews from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and it grossed $43 million at the box office worldwide against a budget of $8.5 million. There's an audience for these kinds of stories, but "The DUFF 2" seems unlikely to happen.
There hasn't been any word from studios about a sequel to pick up where we last left Bianca, Wesley, and the rest of their classmates. However, a companion story does exist in book form. Yes, many people may not realize "The DUFF" was based on a book written by Kody Keplinger. The author returned to the same universe with a companion novel titled "Lying Out Loud." It's not technically a sequel; instead, it follows teenager Sonny as she falls in love with Ryder. The only problem is she poses as her best friend, Amy, while speaking to him online, so he thinks he has a connection with Amy.
So how is it related to "The DUFF?" Amy is Wesley's younger sister, so while Bianca and Wesley aren't at the forefront of the story, they're still around paying attention to everything that transpires. It may not be an exact sequel, but for anyone who loved "The DUFF," it makes for pleasant secondary reading. "The DUFF 2" likely won't ever happen, but perhaps a cinematic adaptation of "Lying Out Loud" could come along with the right team behind the scenes.