Former Disney star said producers backed her vision after watching an early cut of her directorial debut
Pop Culture & ArtAugust 07, 20262 min readPhoto: Reuters
Bella Thorne is expanding her creative role on Spring Breakers 2, revealing that she is no longer only starring in the sequel to Harmony Korine’s 2012 cult classic. The actor has confirmed she is also writing and directing the film after impressing producers with an early version of her first feature as a filmmaker.
The announcement marks a significant change for the project. When the sequel was first unveiled in 2025, filmmaker Matthew Bright was attached to direct, with Thorne joining a cast that also includes Grace Van Dien, Ariel Martin and True Whitaker. However, Thorne has now stepped into the director’s chair, taking creative control of the long awaited follow up.
Speaking during an appearance on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, Thorne explained how the opportunity developed after producers viewed an early cut of her directorial debut, Color Your Hurt.
“The producers watched Color Your Hurt, which is the movie that I just wrapped, an early cut of it. And they asked me to write something to see if they would like it,” Thorne said. “And they loved it. And now I’m writing and directing Spring Breakers 2.”
Color Your Hurt is described as a coming of age thriller centred on a young gay man searching for acceptance within a hostile community. Production on the independent feature wrapped in October, making Spring Breakers 2 Thorne’s second directing project but her first major studio backed feature.
The actor also shared how she intends to separate the sequel from the original film, which became one of the most talked about releases of the early 2010s. Looking back on that era, Thorne reflected on the intense public scrutiny faced by young female stars, particularly former Disney performers.
She said 2012 was an exploitative period in entertainment, recalling how she, Miley Cyrus, Zendaya and Selena Gomez were constantly compared by the media over who would become the industry’s next rebellious young celebrity. Gomez appeared in the original Spring Breakers alongside Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson and James Franco.
According to Thorne, the sequel will embrace a different tone while still delivering the chaotic energy audiences expect from the franchise.
“There is so much litness in this movie,” she said, adding that viewers looking for an entertaining cinema experience would find exactly that. She also teased that the film would be “lit” from beginning to end while stopping short of revealing plot details.
Although Harmony Korine directed and co wrote the original Spring Breakers, he is not involved in the sequel and has previously stated he has no interest in returning. Even so, Thorne confirmed that some familiar figures from the original production remain attached, including producers Chris Hanley and Jordan Gertner.
Released in 2012, Spring Breakers became a cult favourite for its bold visual style and provocative story, while also reshaping public perceptions of several of its young stars. More than a decade later, the sequel aims to introduce a new generation of characters while placing one of Hollywood‘s former child stars firmly behind the camera.
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