The sequel to 2001’s Zoolander has been drifting along on the edge of happening for years now. Script re-writes, scheduling issues and more have delayed any real progress, but according to actor Justin Theroux – who has been attached to direct since 2010 – it might finally be coming together.
Of course, we’ve been down this road before: star and co-writer/director of the first film Ben Stiller told us himself in 2011 that it was “close”. According to Theroux, who played the evil DJ in the original film, it’s still all being worked out.
“We’ve got a script for the sequel, and we’ve just been in talks again,” he tells Vulture. “We’re trying to sharpen it and hone it and, actually, I don’t want to jinx anything, but it looks like it actually might be starting to get up and running.” Ah, you just jinxed it, Justin. You know you did.
When and if it does finally start the cameras rolling, it might not be Theroux actually calling the shots, as he will likely be busy working on HBO series The Leftovers.
“I don’t think I’m going to do it anymore. It really depends on whether the show gets picked up. If it gets picked up, then I don’t think I’ll have the time to do it. So it’ll probably get handed to Ben, which would be awesome.”
The sequel’s plot, still apparently set 10 years after the events of the original, finds Stiller’s Zoolander and Owen Wilson’s Hansel rejected by the fashion industry after they age out of the sweet spot for male models, leaving them struggling to once again make their names. Let’s hope the film doesn’t suffer a similar fate.