The beloved football classic film will be getting a reboot according to its director
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES
Football fans, the good news just keeps on rolling. Bend It Like Beckham is set for a sequel – and we couldn’t be more excited.
It’s no secret that sapphics everywhere have been obsessed with Gurinder Chadha’s iconic 2002 film starring Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley. Following Jess (Nagra) trying to play football despite her family’s wishes, the film has been credited as being a driving force in getting young girls into the sport.
Speaking to the BBC, Chadha said: “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.”
“There are people who still don’t take [women’s football] 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 £60 million when it was released, despite only having a budget of £3.5 million. While the film itself doesn’t have a sapphic storyline, fans were quick to ship the main characters Jess and Jules. Even Keira Knightley wanted the two to end up together!
At a time when women’s football is riding high, it seems only fair to revisit one of the biggest films about women’s football.
Chadha added: “What I did was say you can do what you want, and you can have it all, and I think that’s a really great message to put out again. I think there’s still stuff to say, and stuff to challenge.”
Naturally, fans have been ecstatic at the news, with many demanding that this new sequel features an LGBTQIA+ storyline. What a way to finish off the Euros excitement!
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