Afterlife Of The Party - What We Know So Far

When it comes to high-concept comedies with a heart of gold, Netflix has that corner of the market covered. From "When We First Met" to "Thunder Force" to "Murder Mystery" there's no shortage of Netflix original movies with attention-grabbing premises that will have you ready to press "Play" immediately. The streaming giant is about to add another original comedy to this unique list with "Afterlife of the Party."

Although casting announcements for "Afterlife of the Party" were revealed in late 2020, we learned back in January that this upcoming comedy would be included (via Deadline) in Netflix's epic plan to release at least one new original movie a week in 2021. "Afterlife of the Party" is directed by Stephen Herek, whose previous directing credits include "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" and "101 Dalmatians." The original movie was written by Carrie Freedle, whose previous credits include penning two Hallmark Channel original movies. Here's what else we know so far about "Afterlife of the Party," including the release date, cast, and plot.

Thanks to IMDb, we know the release date for "Afterlife of the Party" isn't too far away. Mark your calendars, folks, because the film will debut on Netflix on Thursday, September 2, 2021. IMDb also lists the running time for "Afterlife of the Party" as one hour and 49 minutes, which seems longer than you might expect for a movie dramedy starring a famous Nickelodeon alum. But that runtime hints that this will be an epic movie, potentially including lots of twists and turns as its lightly supernatural story plays out. Make sure you carve out a solid chunk of time to tune in for this one. 

As a final note: Movies like "Afterlife of the Party," which tend to appeal to younger audiences and feature popular stars, occasionally get the sequel treatment from Netflix (think "The Christmas Chronicles 2" or "Tall Girl 2"). Depending on how well "Afterlife of the Party" does with audiences and whether the plot is open-ended enough to plausibly allow for the story to continue, the streaming giant could see fit to give it a sequel. If this happens, keep your eyes peeled, because an announcement could be made a month or two following the release of "Afterlife of the Party."

The lead cast of "Afterlife of the Party" was first revealed in an October 2020 report from The Wrap. According to the report, "Afterlife of the Party" stars Victoria Justice, Midori Francis (Netflix's "Dash & Lily"), Adam Garcia ("Coyote Ugly"), and singer-songwriter Spencer Sutherland, who will also provide original music for the movie. We also know that Justice will play Cassie, an irrepressible party girl whose birthday plans go off the rails when she expires before her big day. Francis will play Cassie's best friend, Lisa, according to Bustle.

Bustle's exclusive also features a quote from Justice, who reveals just how central Cassie and Lisa's friendship is to the story and, in doing so, teases the likelihood that "Afterlife of the Party" will follow these characters as they work on their broken friendship. Justice explains that "Cassie's [not] coming back down to Earth to find the love of her life or mend whatever with her ex-boyfriend or something... I think it's important for young women to see female friendships being portrayed in a way where women are not just sitting around talking about men. Female friendships are so deep and complex and fulfilling in so many other ways."

According to the official Netflix press site page for "Afterlife of the Party," the new original movie follows Cassie, "a social butterfly [who] experiences the biggest party foul of all... dying during her birthday week. To her surprise, she's given a second chance to right her wrongs on Earth by reconnecting with loved ones, and most importantly, prove that she's worthy enough to get into the big VIP room in the sky."

Bustle's exclusive preview of "Afterlife of the Party" shares some additional details about the plot of the Netflix movie. Per Bustle, in the wake of her untimely passing, "instead of going straight to 'the above' or 'the below,' Cassie gets stuck in the 'in-between,'" and while there, this notorious party girl is given her second chance by a guardian angel. In order to fulfill this second chance, Cassie will "have to mend her relationships with friends and family, from her caring, yoga-loving father, to her estranged mother, to, of course, Lisa."

"Afterlife of the Party" is sure to be equal parts wacky comedy, supernatural adventure, and heartwarming story about showing the people in your life how much you love them while you still can. What's not to like about that? The film debuts on Netflix on September 2.