Goal!
Gurinder Chadha is working on a prequel to Bend It Like Beckham, the 2003 sports cult classic about a young Indian woman (Parminder Nagra) whose dreams of playing pro soccer clash with her strict immigrant parents’ ideals.
In the comedy, Nagra starred as Jess Bhamra, a teenager who goes against her parents’ wishes and competes in matches in secret once she’s enlisted by fellow player Jules Paxton (Keira Knightley) for a semi-pro team. Jonathan Rhys Meyers also starred as Jess’ coach, Joe, whom she takes a liking to.
Stars Nagra and Knightley, as well as Archie Panjabi (who played Pinky) and Juliet Stevenson (Paula), are “aware that a sequel is being developed,” Chadha told Deadline, but “want to see a script before they commit.”
20th Century Fox
Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley in ‘Bend It Like Beckham’
“I’m pretty certain that everyone’s going to want to come back,” Chadha said. “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.”
No plot details yet, but Chadha intends to once again co-write the screenplay with husband Paul Mayeda Berges. She also collaborated with Emma Hayes, head coach of the U.S. women’s national soccer team, to help shape the script. The goal is a 2027 release to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the film’s U.K. 2002 premiere.
The original film, its title a nod to none other than former soccer player David Beckham, was a box office hit, grossing $76.6 million against a budget of roughly $6 million. It even inspired a 2015 West End production.
“I think people underestimated the power of girls wanting to see films where they were empowered,” Chadha told Entertainment Weekly of the film’s enduring success in a retrospective in 2018 ,alongside stars Nagra and Panjabi. “Those hardly ever existed.”
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“People love a story about an underdog,” Nagra added. “Billy Elliot did it. Rocky. Somebody who has to struggle and is going up against everybody else’s version of what they think that person should be. And I think that’s what resonates with people: If you put the hard work in and the persistence, eventually it’ll pay off.”
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
