Bend it like it’s 2002 all over again! Director Gurinder Chadha has confirmed a sequel to the beloved sports drama Bend It Like Beckham is officially in the works.
The 2002 hit, starring Keira Knightley, Parminder Nagra, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers is credited with inspiring a generation of girls to take up soccer. Now, Chadha says the time feels right to revisit the story.
“We’ve been part of changing the game for women, so it felt like this was a good time for me to go back and investigate the characters,” the 65-year-old director told the BBC.
She says attitudes around women’s football have evolved since the film’s release, but there’s still work to be done.
“A lot has changed since the original movie, but I think that people still don’t think that women should play football,” she said.
“There are people who still don’t take it seriously, although the Lionesses are riding high.
“I’ve left it a while, but I thought: look at the Euros, look at the Lionesses.”
The original film grossed more than $70 million worldwide.
Game on!
