For almost a decade, female movie fans around the world have been crossing their fingers in the hope that there would be a sequel to the original 2011 Bridesmaids movie. At this year’s Oscars, we were reminded of the chemistry of the Bridesmaids cast as Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig reunited on stage for the first time to present the Best Costume Design Oscar at the 92^nd Academy Awards. Since their reappearance together and their hilarious double act, it has sparked a social media sensation, with an outpouring of affection for the franchise and many people begging director Paul Feig to consider a ‘Bridesmaids 2’.

There’s no doubt that Universal has helped the Bridesmaids franchise become a household name among female movie lovers that can relate to the iconic cast. The all-girl franchise is still marketed as the female alternative to The Hangover and other series such as Bad Boys for Life, both of which are certainly geared towards males’ sense of humour. RedBubble offer Bridesmaids movie greeting cards that women enjoy sending to friends and family with the same dry sense of humour as the Bridesmaids characters. It even published an officially licensed Bridesmaids video slot that remains one of the most played online slots. The Bridesmaids movie has also helped members of the cast to cement themselves as well-regarded comedians in pop culture, enhancing female comedy acts like Rebel Wilson who won the Choice Movie Actress: Comedy award at the 2013 Teen Choice Awards broadcast live on Fox. Wilson has also become an inspiration for plus-size women and should probably have been listed as one of the global style icons of the last decade.

Is director Paul Feig on-side for a Bridesmaids sequel?

Back in the fall of 2019, director Paul Feig appeared to pour cold water onto the prospect of a Bridesmaids sequel. In an interview with Total Film and GamesRadar, Feig was asked about the future for the Bridesmaids franchise while promoting his recent movie Last Christmas. Feig admitted that movie fans “think they want a sequel” but he would struggle to “invest the audience” in a new storyline. Feig fears a sequel that would once again focus on the roller-coaster life of Kristen Wiig’s character, Annie Walker, would be too predictable for fans. Feig said it was the “spirit of discovery” in Annie’s life that enchanted fans throughout the original.

For those unfamiliar with the Bridesmaids original or requiring a memory nudge, the essence of the original plot centres around Lillian’s bachelorette party, which Annie seeks to plan as Lillian’s Maid of Honour. In the background, Annie is mentally struggling with her failed bakery business and being unlucky in love. Annie’s ill-timed bad behaviour on the hen do’s flight to Las Vegas sees her escorted off the plane, with Lillian passing on Maid of Honour duties to fellow bridesmaid Helen exclusively. Annie’s journey of rediscovery prior to Lillian’s wedding is a moving one, with plenty of thrills and spills along the way.

Much rests on the shoulders of co-writer Kristen Wiig

But is Bridesmaids really better off being left alone as a classic in its own right? You only have to look at the other sequels in The Hangover’s franchise to see that there was undoubted appetite among fans for more storylines and there would surely be the same thirst for hilarious scenes and sub-plots for the Bridesmaids cast. Booking actors and actresses for Hollywood casts is big business, but there’s no doubt the existing Bridesmaids cast should remain untouched. Kristen Wiig co-wrote the original Bridesmaids movie and said to Harpers Bazaar in 2013 that a sequel was “not [her] goal in [her] creative life”.

More recently, Paul Feig said in a YouTube interview for Her.ie that he was open to collaborating with Wiig once again providing there was “a great story to bring those characters back” and the plot was “different from the first”. Feig remarked that a chance to work with the original cast of Bridesmaids for a second time would be “so much fun”. From a purely selfish point of view, having the prospect of a Bridesmaids sequel to look forward to after the despair of recent weeks would be a much-needed fill-up for female movie fans in all four corners of the globe.