Football, which is referred to as soccer in the United States, has grown in popularity over the years, especially women’s football. Then of course you’ve got the hit series Ted Lasso, the new and popular David Beckham documentary on Netflix, and then there’s Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s Welcome to Wrexham series.
With Footaball a major form of entertainment right now, director Gurinder Chadha is now thinking it’s time for a Bend It Like Beckham sequel. In an interview with Metro Chadha talked about the rising popularity of women’s football and how it’s making her think about making the sequel, saying:
“I never really wanted to make a sequel to the film because I just thought the way Parminder [Nagra] and Keira [Knightley] 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.”
Bend it Like Beckham was released over 20 years ago, The story revolves around Jesminder “Jess” Bhamra, a young British Indian woman with a deep passion for soccer, much to the dismay of her traditional Sikh parents who have specific expectations for their daughter, particularly concerning her future and marriage. When Jess is offered an opportunity to join a local women’s football team, she becomes friends with her teammate, Jules, and the two navigate the challenges of their respective family pressures and societal norms.
As Jess secretly pursues her dream, the narrative dives into the clash between her family’s traditional values and her desire to play soccer, inspired by her idol, David Beckham. The film is a wonderful heartfelt coming-of-age story that audiences enjoyed.
I think a sequel to the film would do really well right now because there’s actually a very big market for it. Would you be interested in watching a Bend It Like Beckham sequel? The question is, would the story include the same characters from the original film or follow new characters? I imagine it would probably be a little of both.