Is Jay Kelly 2 Happening? Everything We Know So Far
Don’t expect a Jay Kelly 2 just yet: after a limited theatrical run and a Dec. 5, 2025 Netflix debut, Noah Baumbach’s character-driven drama starring George Clooney and Adam Sandler was crafted as a standalone — and there’s still no sequel confirmed.
Here is where things stand with Jay Kelly: lots of chatter, zero official movement. The film dropped on Netflix on December 5, 2025 after a small theatrical run, and it very much plays like a complete story. Still, the way it ends leaves just enough room for more, which, of course, has people talking.
So... is a sequel happening?
Short answer: no announcement, no deal. Creator Noah Baumbach told Tudum that he designed Jay Kelly as a self-contained piece. In fact, he built the whole thing to land on that last moment where Jay speaks—slowly—this line:
"Can I go again? I'd like another one."
Baumbach explained to Tudum that the ending came first and everything else spiraled out from there:
"I had the line for the ending, and I knew how I wanted it delivered. I didn't know where it was going to be or how I was going to do it or who exactly was going to say it. One way of looking at Jay Kelly is that I reverse engineered an entire movie just to get to this last line."
That sounds pretty definitive for a standalone. That said, industry folks and a handful of outlets are already speculating about a follow-up. Not shocking. When a movie ends on a breath like that, the what-if machine fires up.
Does the movie actually set up another chapter?
Kind of. Jay Kelly tells a complete emotional story: a famous actor staring down his midlife choices, the collateral damage he left behind, and what that does to his sense of purpose. But Baumbach leaves several threads deliberately loose. Jay wants out—no more fame, a quieter life. That opens doors for a part two: what retirement actually looks like, whether he can fix things with his dad and his daughters, and how that plays with the people who relied on him (friends, employees, the whole mini‑ecosystem around a star).
The film ends in uncertainty. That ambiguity is the point, but it also means you could keep following him: try to rebuild, try to matter without the spotlight, discover new fallout from old decisions. And because the movie is so steeped in showbiz life, there is nothing stopping a story where Jay resurfaces—maybe even does it right this time. It is a character study first, but if there is appetite, you can grow it.
Adam Sandler on why he signed up
Adam Sandler plays Ron Sukenick, Jay's longtime manager and human fire blanket. Ron is the guy who always absorbs the chaos—he even ditches time with his own kids when Jay decides to bolt across Europe. In his Tudum chat, Sandler talked about how he chooses work now:
"I'm at an age where I definitely have to look at what the most important thing is that year, what I'm taking on, who will be affected. It's about doing the right thing, making sure that I'm focused for everybody if I can be."
He also said he and George Clooney connected with what the movie is poking at: when you go off to make a film, life hits pause and everything becomes about the work. That tension—loyalty, friendship, staying grounded while your job is built on attention—is basically the engine of Ron and Jay's dynamic.
Quick rundown
- Title: Jay Kelly
- Type: Comedy‑drama feature
- Director: Noah Baumbach
- Writers: Noah Baumbach, Emily Mortimer
- Main cast: George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup
- Premise: A famous movie star roams Europe with his longtime manager, wrestling with old choices, strained family ties, and what his legacy actually means
- Release: Limited theatrical run, then Netflix on December 5, 2025
- Runtime and rating: About 132 minutes, rated R for language
The bottom line
No sequel in play right now. The movie was built to end where it ends, and Baumbach is pretty upfront about that. But the door is cracked—just enough for the imagination, and just enough that if Netflix and the talent wanted another go, there is a clear path.
Jay Kelly is streaming now on Netflix.