Sequel to Keira Knightley 2002 sports film in the works, director reveals

Yahoo

5 days ago

A sequel to Bend It Like Beckham is in development more than 20 years after its original release, the film's director has confirmed.
The 2002 comedy-drama starred Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley, who chase careers in professional football despite their parents' wishes.
Directed by Gurinder Chadha, it is credited with inspiring a generation of women to take up football.
Chadha teased the sequel in Basel, Switzerland, on Saturday (July 26), where England are set to take on Spain in the final of the Women's Euros on Sunday (July 27).
She has earmarked 2027 for the next instalment, to mark both the film's 25th anniversary and the FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil, BBC News reports.
Chadha said she was still unsure what form the sequel might take, but suggested it could either be another film or a television series.
"I'm pretty certain that everyone's going to want to come back"
Discussing with Deadline about the sequel, Chadha shared: "I'm excited to revisit the original characters and revive the enduring story and build on the legacy we helped to create for the women's game."
The original cast members 'are aware that a sequel is being developed, but they obviously want to see a script before they commit".
'I'm pretty certain that everyone's going to want to come back,' she adds hopefully.
She added: 'Everything hinges on the script and if the original cast likes it.
'I am working really hard to make sure every character I bring back has a decent arc and scenes.'
Alongside that, there is the hope that members of the current England squad would be "queuing up" to take on cameo roles.
Although the environment around women's football has changed significantly since the film's release, Chadha says there is still some work to be done.
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She explained: "A lot has changed since the original movie, but I think that people still don't think that women should play football.
"There are people who still don't take it seriously, although the Lionesses are riding high.
"I've left it a while, but I thought: look at the Euros, look at the Lionesses."