One of the most offbeat studio comedies of the ’90s is getting a follow-up. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it looks like Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion is getting a sequel at last, with original stars Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow returning. The original film, about two unambitious women who attend their 10-year high school reunion and lie about their accomplishments was a minor theatrical hit in 1997. But it got a huge following on home video and TV. It has since become a cult classic. For years there were rumors about a sequel, and now it looks like it’s finally happening.
The sequel has signed on Tim Federle, creator of High School Musical: The Series, to direct the feature film for Twentieth Century Studios. Right now, it looks like filming will start sometime in June, possibly shooting in Los Angeles. Both Sorvino and Kudrow will be executive producers. So what will this sequel be about? No one is saying, but the timing of a potential release would be right around the time Romy and Michele would be attending their 40th high school reunion. That scenario seems way too good to pass up as a premise. This time, Romy and Michele better have a better lie to tell their classmates than saying they invented Post-Its. Maybe they can say they invented social media?
Many supporting cast from the first Romy and Michele film went on to big careers in Hollywood, like Justin Theroux and Alan Cumming. Also in an early role was Kristin Bauer, known for her work on True Blood and Once Upon a Time. She was one of “The A-Group” of mean girls in the first movie. It would be wild if somehow all of these actors returned, even if only for a cameo appearance. Not to mention Janeane Garofalo, who the filmmakers should definitely ask to come back in some capacity. Here’s hoping the Romy and Michele sequel is one of the rare comedy legacy films that does not disappoint.
