Football is majorly trending in entertainment right now, from the smash hit Ted Lasso series to the new and popular David Beckham documentary on Netflix, it’s everywhere we turn. So much so that director Gurinder Chadha teases that a Bend It Like Beckham 2 may be in the works sometime soon.
Yes, that's right, possibly the best football movie ever may be getting a sequel. In an interview with Metro Chadha revealed that the rising popularity of women's football is making her think about making a part two to her iconic noughties comedy-drama.
"I never really wanted to make a sequel to the film because I just thought the way Parminder [Nagra] and Keira [Knightley] played it, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Archie Panjabi, I could never really follow that up and create that same magic in the same way.” the director explained, “But with the recent success of football, I just feel like I'm starting to percolate an idea for a possible sequel of some kind."
Released over 20 years ago, Bend It Like Beckham follows Jess, played by Parminder Nagra, a young girl who desperately wants to become a professional football player, but her very traditional parents want her to give up the sport, find a nice boy and settle down. Co-starring Kiera Knightley the film tackles issues of girlhood, friendship, and stereotypical gender roles and expectations that girls in male-dominated activities often face.
Reflecting on the past couple of years following the success of The Lionesses, the director feels that whilst she had never thought about it before, now is the time to make a follow-up. This comes soon after being awarded one of the inaugural stars on the National Lottery’s new Walk of Stars installation on London’s Southbank in collaboration with the British Film Institute. "I feel like with all these accolades, and particularly the star, my audience around the world deserve a little taster of something," she added.
Whether it be Bend It Like Beckham 2 or an overall celebration of women in sports, we cannot wait to see what Chadha has up her sleeves.
Bend it Like Beckham is available to stream on Amazon Prime and Disney Plus. For more fitness flicks check out our list of 30 best sports movies.
Amid Oscar buzz, Zoe Saldana opens up on her new perspective on Hollywood and why she's only really proud of Avatar and Emilia Pérez: "I think I just have to accept who I am as a creative person"
Memento star Guy Pearce says a Warner Bros. exec blocked him from more Christopher Nolan movies, including Batman Begins: "I think he just didn’t believe in me as an actor"
