Smile franchise expands with Any Given Smile comic set in 1995

IDW Publishing's horror imprint, IDW Dark, is expanding the Smile franchise with a new five-issue comic titled Any Given Smile. The series relocates Parker Finn's unsettling premise to the gridiron, setting the story during the American Arena League championship in 1995.

The first two Smile films, released in 2022 and 2024, used different protagonists to explore a curse that makes victims see people unnaturally smiling and drives them to suicide, a chain that passes the entity from witness to witness. The films earned a combined box office haul of over $350 million and helped establish the franchise’s focus on trauma and stardom.

Any Given Smile follows the Sharks as they chase a historic championship, centering on a backup quarterback under pressure from teammates, fans and a gambling underworld. A string of mysterious suicides sends a sports journalist digging for answers as the Smile Entity works to sow distrust.

United States

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