It’s news fans have waited almost 30 years to hear: Yes, a “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion” sequel is finally in the works. 20th Century Studios today posted a photo of the film’s two lead stars, Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino, on Instagram along with the caption: “The reunion you’ve been waiting for! The Romy and Michele sequel is now in production.”
So excited I could throw up. Ugh, I HATE throwing up in public. Me too! Sorvino has already commented under the post, writing: “It’s finally happening. Bursting with joy to be ‘reunited!’”
The original Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion movie was released in 1997, with Sorvino and Kudrow playing the titular roles, two ditzy LA girls who hatch a plan to impress the jocks and bullies in their hometown of Tuscon, Arizona when they return for their 10-year high school reunion. The film was something of a commercial disappointment upon release, making just $US29m worldwide against a $US20m budget, but quickly became a cult classic and is now regarded as one of the funniest comedies of the 90s.
20th Century Studios tagged two more of the original film’s cast in their post, suggesting they will be reprising their roles for the sequel: Alan Cumming, who played the nerdy Sandy Frink in his breakout US role, and Camryn Manheim as the ever-chirpy Toby Walters. Variety reports that Janeane Garofalo and Julia Campbell will also reprise their roles as Heather Mooney and Christy Masters-Christensen, respectively.
The outlet reports that new cast members joining for the sequel include Keegan-Michael Key, Rob Huebel, Patrick Warburton and an actor best-known for his role in another iconic 90s comedy film, Breckin Meyer (aka Travis in 1995’s Clueless). But there’s bad news for fans wanting to see the new film on the big screen: Variety reports that the sequel will be a streaming-only release, available on Hulu in the US and Disney+ internationally.
Talk of a Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion sequel has been bubbling away for at least a decade - at a 20th anniversary screening of the original film in LA in 2017, Sorvino said she and Kudrow had been up for it for years. “We’ve always been interested, and it sounds like you’re interested, so hopefully yes, but I can’t say. Robin (Schiff, the writer of the first film) would write it and we would be in it and we would love you to come see it,” she said. The first film introduced an insult for the ages: “I hope your babies look like monkeys.”
More recently, during media appearances for the final season of The Comeback, Kudrow confirmed that a script had been written but remained cagey about when exactly it might be made. If the film is released next year, it’ll be just in time for a milestone anniversary, 30 years since the release of the original film. Perhaps Sorvino, now 58, and Kudrow, 62, will portray Romy and Michele returning to Tucson for their 40-year high school reunion.
Few have seen it, but there has in fact already been a sequel to the first film - or rather, a prequel. The film was belatedly followed up by TV movie Romy and Michele: In The Beginning, which aired in the US in 2005. While writer Robin Schiff was back again, none of the original cast returned. In Kudrow and Sorvino’s place? American Horror Story’s Alexandra Breckenridge and a pre-Grey’s Anatomy Katherine Heigl.
