Summary
- Bend It Like Beckham could deliver a successful sequel 20 years later due to its iconic status in the world of women’s soccer movies.
- The film’s director, Gurinder Chadha, initially hesitated to make a sequel but is now considering it due to the recent popularity and success of women’s football.
- With the growing popularity of women’s soccer worldwide, a sequel to Bend It Like Beckham could be a massive hit.
These days, it’s never too late for a movie to get a sequel. And Hollywood is full of great examples of this. Therefore, the fact that the sports comedy-drama Bend It Like Beckham could deliver its second part more than 20 years after its premiere would not be a surprise, and the director knows it. Released in 2002, Bend It Like Beckham has become an emblem in the world of football soccer movies, especially for women, at a time when female soccer was not the global phenomenon that it has become in recent years. Starring Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley, the film centers on a young British Indian named Jesminder “Jess” Bhamra, who dreams of becoming a footballer like her idol, David Beckham.
But, in addition to dealing with the prejudices of being a woman dedicating herself to a sport mostly considered for men, the cultural and religious conflict with her family will be the main impediment to her being able to pursue her goal.
The film received mostly positive reviews, and performed very well at the box office in both the UK and the United States. With a budget of just $5.6 million, it managed to gross about $76.5 million globally, which is quite a lot for a film aimed at such a specific audience. But, beyond its success, it never had a continuation. However, that might change soon.
In a recent interview with Metro, the film’s director, Gurinder Chadha, revealed why he did not make a second part, confessing that he has now started to think about it:
“With all this talk of the World Cup and the popularity of women’s football, in the past I haven’t thought about. I never really wanted to make a sequel to the film because I just thought the way Parminder and Keira 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. 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.”
Related: Beckham Trailer Teases Netflix’s Deep Dive Into the Sports Legend’s Life
Why Now May Be the Perfect Time for Bend It Like Beckham to Get a Sequel
Fox Searchlight Pictures / Helkon SK
In recent years, especially in the United States, North America and even Europe, women’s soccer has become a true phenomenon, attracting enthusiastic and larger audiences to its events, and with new teams emerging every year. The sport is growing, so a movie like Bend It Like Beckham could be a massive hit if it was being released today. So the sequel could definitely get some real recognition, even more than what was achieved two decades ago.
A good example of how much women’s soccer has grown in recent years is the documentary Angel City, focused on the soccer club Angel City Football Club, which is directed by a large group of women with a lot of impact such as Natalie Portman, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, and Jimmy Chin.
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