If you’re still in the midst of a dazed high following the Lionesses’ stunning triumph at the Euros, then I have more joyous news for you: the film that changed the game for women’s soccer in Britain (and everywhere else) over two decades ago, Bend It Like Beckham, is now, finally, getting the Hollywood sequel treatment.
News broke via Deadline on the day before the Euros final that Gurinder Chadha, who directed the original cult classic, now has a follow-up officially in the works. “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,” she told the publication, while, coincidentally, in Basel for the historic match. She added that the first film’s principal cast—Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Archie Panjabi, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Juliet Stevenson, Anupam Kher et al—“are aware that a sequel is being developed, but they obviously want to see a script before they commit. 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.”
Despite a sizeable appetite from Bend It’s fans and the increasing prominence of women’s football globally, Chadha admits that, for more than 20 years, “I didn’t want to do anything because I didn’t have a story. And then I came up with a great story, [a] really super-cool story. So now I’m inspired. [I] literally came up with it just about a month ago. It’s my very clear wish to bring the characters back very, very soon. Women’s football is more competitive, more exciting, and more global than ever. It is an honor for me to be a small part of it.”
So, what changed? Well, it seems this year’s Cannes Film Festival was pivotal: It was there that Chadha was introduced to Emma Hayes, the head coach of the US women’s soccer team, who, naturally, has no shortage of insight on the game at the very highest level. Since then, the pair have discussed a potential sequel further, and are now working on it “collaboratively.”
It’s likely that Chadha’s co-writer on the first film, Paul Mayeda Berges, will be back too, and the filmmaker noted that the aim is to have the sequel on screens by 2027—in time for both the 25th anniversary of Bend It Like Beckham and the next FIFA Women’s World Cup, where the Lionesses will attempt to take the top prize from defending champions Spain.