Why Isla Fisher’s Henley Isn’t In Now You See Me 2
Nearly all of the original cast returned for Now You See Me 2, but Isla Fisher's Henley was notably absent; here's how the sequel explained her exit.
Why is Isla Fisher's Henley absent from sequel Now You See Me 2? The original Now You See Me was notable for its ensemble cast, which included Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenberg, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine, and followed a team of magicians dubbed the Four Horsemen. This group pulls some major heists using magic tricks and it soon becomes clear there's also an unseen fifth member of the group. The film was a glossy thriller whose plot didn't make much sense upon closer examination, but its great cast and flashy energy saw it become a surprisingly big hit.
The film grossed a magical sum of $350 million worldwide in 2013, so naturally, it didn't take long for the Horsemen to mount for a sequel. Now You See Me 2 - which screenwriter Ed Solomon originally wanted to call Now You Don't - saw the return of Caine's vengeful Tressler, with Daniel Radcliffe playing his son. Like the first entry, the sequel wasn't greeted with the warmest of reviews and while it didn't gross as much, it still turned a very comfortable profit for the studio.
While most of the cast returned for Now You See Me 2, there were a couple of notable absences. Neither Mélanie Laurent's Interpol Agent Alma nor Isla Fisher's Henley returned for the sequel. Fisher was pregnant went production was set to begin on the film, so her character was replaced by Lizzy Caplan as the Four Horsemen's newest recruit Lula May.
The absence of Henley is explained away in Now You See Me 2 as the character getting bored waiting for orders from The Eye, the secret group of magicians, so she simply left. This presumably leaves the door open for Henley to return for another installment, should Isla Fisher wish to return to the franchise.
The series has turned out to be nicely profitable for Lionsgate, with both entries having collectively made over $670 million worldwide. Now You See Me 3 has been in development for some time, but it showed signs of moving forward in April 2020 when it was announced Eric Warren Singer would be penning the script. The new movie will apparently introduce a new set of characters but some of the original cast may return too. Of course, there's no word on Isla Fisher's Henley returning just yet either. A Chinese spinoff set to star Jay Chou as his Now You See Me 2 character Li was also reported back in 2016, but there have been no updates on this movie in recent years.
