What Will Happen In Disney+’s Stargirl Sequel

WARNING: Spoilers for Stargirl and Stargirl 2.

Now that Stargirl has received mostly positive reviews, fans can expect a Disney+ sequel, but what will it be about? Directed by Julia Hart, Stargirl’s source material is based on Jerry Spinelli’s eponymous 2000 novel, which was followed up by a 2007 sequel entitled Love, Stargirl. Disney’s adaptation of Stargirl concludes with a post-credits scene that at once teases a continued storyline while punctuating the film as a whole.

Disney+’s Stargirl follows the quirky title character, Susan Caraway (Grace VanderWaal), as she trades homeschooling for life at Mica High in Arizona. She befriends the shy and kind-hearted Leo Borlock (Graham Verchere), who similarly views himself as an outsider. Overall, the Disney+ adaptation mostly stays true to the book, as the two leads form a strong bond and must deal with criticism from their peers. But while the 2000 novel concludes with big drama involving Stargirl, the Disney+ movie features a musical spotlight for Leo, who ultimately reflects about lessons learned through voiceover narration.

As a stand-alone film, Stargirl has a somewhat-cryptic final act: the title character disappears from Mica, while Leo and his peers discuss Stargirl’s legacy at their school. She has become a mythological figure, a student who was the football team’s good luck charm and then left town after winning a speech competition. Leo speaks as if he’ll never see Stargirl again, and doesn’t even mention if he’ll somehow try to track her down. In Spinelli’s novel sequel, however, Stargirl is indeed the narrator and has a whole lot to say about her experiences in Mica. So, that’s the first thing to consider when anticipating a Stargirl sequel on Disney+, as VanderWaal’s character will theoretically provide her point of view through diary recollections, described as “the world’s longest letter.” Stargirl will be further humanized, it seems, rather than being a girl that merely passed through town and left a big impression upon the Mica High boys and girls.

If Disney sticks with the source material, Stargirl 2 will take place in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania; the same location where Spinelli currently lives. In addition, the storyline will pick up immediately after the events of Stargirl. VanderWaal’s character will transition to her new life in the American Northeast with her mother, and write in her journal as she meets new people during both the fall and winter seasons. Just as Stargirl on Disney+ builds to a Homecoming party climax, Stargirl 2 will seemingly feature a Winter Solstice party sequence, in which the title character’s former Arizona teacher Archie Brubaker (portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito in the Disney+ film) will arrive to celebrate and offer some much-needed advice.

Stargirl 2 will feature a new love interest, Perry Delloplane, whose personality is quite different than Leo. Still, he treats Stargirl well, which makes the girl feel conflicted as she continues to reference Leo in her diary. After a first kiss with Perry, Stargirl has a conversation with Archie about what to do next. In Stargirl 2, Verchere will likely reprise his role for flashback sequences – some will probably be from the original Disney+ film, while others will be filmed specifically for the sequel for extra character development.

As of now, Spinelli hasn’t released a third installment in his book series, so Stargirl 2 on Disney+ will theoretically conclude with a cliffhanger. It’s worth noting that the author wrote the first novel without planning to write a sequel, which explains why Leo reflects about Stargirl 15 years after the fact. When Spinelli decided to write a sequel, it made sense to just pick up the original storyline where it left off, as she told Sellers Library: “I would just say that I tried to turn this ‘problem’ to my advantage and to tell the story in a way that’s not too predictable.” So, expect Stargirl 2 on Disney+ to be more interpretive rather than explanatory.

About The Author

Q.V. Hough
(1892 Articles Published)

Q.V. Hough is a senior writer at Screen Rant. He’s also the founding editor at Vague Visages, and has contributed to RogerEbert.com and Fandor.

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