A sequel to Julia Roberts’ romantic comedy My Best Friend’s Wedding is in early development.
It’s been reported that Past Lives and Materialists filmmaker Celine Song will write the screenplay for the project, but she is not in talks to direct it.
The news, reported by Variety, comes after Dermot Mulroney, who starred alongside Roberts in the 1997 original, teased that “there is talk of a sequel” in an interview earlier this month.
When asked about the sequel, he told the New York Post: “I know nothing about it. Last I heard, quote, lawyers were talking, unquote.”
The original film starred Roberts as food critic Julianne, who realises she is in love with her friend, Michael, played by Mulroney. Unfortunately, he’s set to marry his new girlfriend, Kimberly (Cameron Diaz) – so she does all she can to ensure that the nuptials don’t go ahead. The film also stars Rupert Everett as Roberts’ gay friend George Downes.
The film, which made just under $300m (£224m) at the global box office, earned three Golden Globe nominations – in best musical and comedy and acting nods for Roberts and Everett – and has become one of the most popular titles from Roberts’ romcom run in the Nineties.
Speaking about the legacy of the film upon its 25th anniversary in 2022, Roberts said making the movie was a “beautiful time”.
“So many people have someone that they can see themselves as in the movie,” she explained.
“I also just think that we really got lucky coming together – none of us knew each other before we made the movie – and we just had a really great chemistry. It just worked.”
Roberts has previously expressed interest in reprising the role, speaking about where she had imagined the characters to be years later.
“I guess Kimmy and Michael are married and they probably have kids,” she said. “And then there’s me and Rupert.”
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The sequel joins a number of follow-ups to cult Nineties films. This month saw the release of the slasher film I Know What You Did Last Summer and Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore 2 on Netflix.
Next month will see the release of the Freaky Friday sequel, Freakier Friday, reuniting original stars Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis.
