The second installment of Book Club, set entirely in Italy, arrives in theaters

Four glories of American cinema together for a film set entirely in Italy. It is Book Club - The Next Chapter, starring an extraordinary quartet of Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen. It is a sequel to 2017’s Book Club - Anything Can Happen, a film by Bill Holderman, assisted in the screenplay by Erin Simms, which was a great success not so much because of the open conversations about sex engaged in by the women (which were still very funny), but because of the fact that a major motion picture could star four female leads over 65. The film grossed more than $100 million at the box office, showing how much audiences enjoyed seeing these movie icons acting together while having fun.

The action of Book Club - The next chapter kicks off as the isolation due to the pandemic fades. Carol, played by Mary Steenburgen, reminds her friends of the trip to Italy they promised to take together when they were in their twenties, before their lives took a different turn. Gradually but with conviction, they all accept the challenge. Leaving behind complicated situations related to work or family, these women manage to focus on themselves again, accompanied by their lifelong friends.

The idea for the sequel came almost immediately, even before the first film was released, and it was not Holderman or Simms who proposed it. “The idea came to Candice and me during a trip to promote the first film at CinemaCon, in Las Vegas,” says Mary Steenburgen. Simms then asked the women where they would like to set the sequel. "Candice and I looked at each other and answered in chorus, ’In Italy!’ And we never renegotiated that statement. I always reminded Bill and Erin that that should be the choice. Keaton was also enthusiastic. In fact, she said that working in Book Club - The Next Chapter was an amazing experience. “I felt comfortable with the director and really enjoyed all the professionals who worked on the first chapter of the film, especially the other actresses, who are incredible,” she says.

Once the location was established, even before any arrangements were made, the screenwriters took on the challenge of imagining an emotional journey worthy of these characters. “As a screenwriter, I feel like I can say that it was super easy, that the sequel pretty much wrote itself, that we envisioned the story and then everything flowed naturally,” Holderman says. “And that happened because of the commitment we put into the sequel: we didn’t want to make it just because the first film did well. And we weren’t going to continue with the project until we came up with a story that we were genuinely excited about.”

The film’s sequel would not have happened without a novel to draw inspiration from, and this time Simms and Holderman chose Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist , about the journey of self-discovery. The two screenwriters were drawn to the underlying theme: we always have the chance to take destiny into our own hands and turn the challenges life presents us into opportunities. “Sometimes, by putting yourself out there and opening yourself up to incredible situations, opportunities arise. And that was the concept we wanted to convey,” Holderman says. “There is always the possibility of having your luggage stolen or missing your train. These experiences can cause us disorientation or we can accept them as part of the adventure, during which negative events can also occur.” Simms further clarifies how The Alchemist is connected to the film’s protagonists at this precise stage of their lives: “The point is not to grow old. Of course, age advances and the body suffers, but you can stay young if you are interesting and curious. You can lead an active life, but you should never stop learning new things, taking care of yourself, wanting new experiences.”

Holderman and Simms worked hard to ensure that the sequel would not fall into the trap of making its characters appear unable to come to terms with the changing times or resigned to letting life pass them by. On the contrary, the protagonists of Book Club - The Next Chapter are not afraid to take risks and make mistakes with ease. “I’m almost 85 years old, and I like to play older women who still live life with enthusiasm-I think it’s a way to encourage younger people not to be afraid of growing old,” says Fonda. “But also to instill hope in women about the possibility of leading an exciting life even after age 60.”

“Bill and Erin did not write a film in which the main characters talk exclusively about how old they are and their inability to use technology. The film is much more than that,” Steenburgen explains. “It’s about dealing with a stage of life where the moments we’ve experienced in the past are greater than the moments we’ll experience in the future, and the effect this has on a deep level, the questions it raises, and the effect it has on friendships, dating life, and the desire to experience things intensely. The goal is not to miss a single moment.”

Fonda has not missed the level of care and attention of the filmmakers on set: “Bill knows exactly what he wants and is very kind and patient with the actors and his partner Erin, who co-wrote the script with him. The two of them together are able to make you feel safe, understood and appreciated,” he says.

Keaton was thrilled to be working together with her beloved director again, “Bill is the reason I’m here and I will be eternally grateful to him for making it all happen,” she says. According to the actress, what made the sequel really special was having chosen Italy for its settings. “Isn’t it amazing to think about having to stay in Italy for two and a half months? I was immediately ready to move there! It was amazing to live there. I am always happy to take any opportunity to go there-it is full of incredible people and unimaginable places,” the actress says emphatically.

There was no better place than Italy to take the long-awaited girls’ trip and turn it into a bachelorette party as Vivian (Jane Fonda) unexpectedly finds herself engaged within weeks of leaving. In addition to saying goodbye to Vivian’s single life, the vacation offers each of the women the opportunity to reconnect with the past and question their futures, closing the circle on some situations and opening their hearts to others. And even to experience spending a night in prison. During the journey, they eat kilos of pasta and drink liters of wine; and again, at least one of them finds herself wearing a wedding dress: in Italy they all end up having adventurous experiences.

To create the set design for Book Club - The Next Chapter, Holderman enlisted set designer Stefano Maria Ortolani and costume designer Stefano De Nardis, who skillfully maintained the chic and cozy atmosphere of the original film while enriching it with the typically Italian desire for escapism and sensuality.

“Working with industry managers and an all-Italian team, who are connoisseurs and lovers of Italy and the capital, we could constantly ask for advice on places and streets to visit in order to be able to tell Rome in an even more realistic way. We wanted to faithfully capture life in Italy and project it on the big screen,” Holderman says. "And having returned to freedom after experiencing the restrictions of the pandemic period, we wanted the film to convey openness. The director was inspired by shooting some of the film’s scenes in the legendary Cinecittà film studios, just across the street from Teatro 5, where Federico Fellini filmed La Dolce Vita, Amarcord and 8 ½. "It was extraordinary to be able to walk out of the theater every day and feel the history of those places, says Holderman.

Ortolani’s job was by no means an easy one: to have to make a film that offered viewers a fresh look at the country’s places of interest, yet avoided choosing obvious locations and shots. “We tried not to make it too touristy, while still shooting in wonderful sites such as the ancient Castelluccia Castle,” he says, referring to one of the locations used to make many key scenes. “We were asked to find as many things around Rome as possible, and we proposed breathtaking locations in which I had never shot before,” he says. “An antique store just off Via dei Coronari, a very central street in Rome, very elegant and not very touristy; or again, a 16th-century villa just outside the city. We managed to capture the romantic atmosphere of the winding side streets as well.”

The film’s uniqueness also lies in the fact that the story begins right in the middle of the pandemic, when these characters-but also many viewers-were gathering in virtual reading groups to keep a mental balance and stay connected. “After being cooped up at home in the absence of many of our loved ones, we learned not to take anyone for granted anymore,” Steenburgen says. “The script really starts from there, and I think that’s the motivation that leads us to empathize so much with the film.”

As for the story, the pandemic is one of the elements that provides the impetus for the trip to Italy. When Arthur, played by Don Johnson, proposes to Vivian, their idea of a vacation turns into a bachelorette party to celebrate their long-single friend, who has found-again! - the love of her life, this time in retirement age. “He had proposed to Vivian when they were in their twenties, and she had refused because she had no intention of getting married. But forty years later, after a life of freedom, dating lovers and no strings attached, the two reconnected and the spark was rekindled. And when the Covid explodes and they spend their seclusion together in Arthur’s New York home, she realizes that he is not so bad. And she convinces herself to marry him,” Fonda says.

What would once have been a relaxing weekend becomes an international road trip: the women travel on planes, trains and automobiles to the incredible rural areas and then settle in Rome. “Every night when I came home, I thought about how alive this city was, I couldn’t believe it! A city full of people, mopeds, a constant coming and going at all hours. When you walk the streets, you feel a great vitality,” Bergen says.

Mitchel and Bruce, played by Andy Garcia and Craig T. Nelson respectively, head to Italy to reunite with their women played by Diane Keaton and Mary Steenburgen. Candice Bergen is quick to point out that their roles are not simply an embellishment of the scene: “To say the guys are just good-looking would be to belittle them, because they are all talented actors,” she says.

"Craig and I first worked together in 2009 in Blackmail for Love, with Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds and the great Betty White, and we hit it off immediately. And so I was very excited when I was told he would be playing the role of my husband in Book Club - Anything Can Happen,“ says Steenburgen. ”It was fun rehearsing scenes with him, spending time together. He is extraordinary as a person and as a professional."

Fonda and Johnson have known each other even longer in real life. “I’ve known Don since the early ’70s, when I founded an anti-militarist organization called Entertainment Industry for Peace and Justice. He was a very nice guy, attending meetings. I thought it was for ideological reasons, and instead he wanted to make achievements,” he says, letting out a laugh. “He was and still is today very charismatic, professional and handsome, someone you work very well with.”

Andy Garcia reappears in the sequel to play Diane’s boyfriend Mitchell, and the two characters now coexist. “I love Andy Garcia, he is a special person. We kissed in many scenes in the movie,” Keaton says. “I know he didn’t like it, I practically molested him, but I don’t care! I asked to shoot as many takes together as possible!” Garcia denies that there is anything more to it than the pleasure of catching up with an old friend: "I love Diane, I enjoy working together with her. When they sent me the script and I found out that the film would be shot in Tuscany it pretty much came full circle: I met Diane in 1989-1990, on the set of The Godfather - Part III."

Joining Garcia, Johnson and Nelson are two new actors, although one of them technically returns from the past. Vincent Riotta, best known for his charming role in Under the Tuscan Sun, returns to star in a film set in Italy playing Gianni, the man who when in America to work at a cooking school has an affair with Carol (Mary Steenburgen). But then he decides to break it off and finally returns to Rome. And then there is Sharon, played by Candice Bergen, who appears in some of the most hilarious scenes in Book Club - The Next Chapter, alongside Hugh Quarshie, whose character Ousmane is determined to make her have an authentic and unforgettable evening in Italy. Italian actors also include Giancarlo Giannini, who plays the police chief.

However, the most important element in the saga remains the same: “I hope it succeeds in conveying to fans the value of friendship, in our case friendship between women, its importance and the sense of security it gives people,” Bergen says. “And I also hope the audience appreciates the landscape! Italy is wonderful, and actually the kids are not bad either!”

The second installment of Book Club, set entirely in Italy, arrives in theaters

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