Gurinder Chadha, the director and co-writer of 2002 football comedy-drama film Bend it Like Beckham, has revealed that she has recently started to "percolate an idea" for a sequel.

Advertisement

The original film starred Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and followed two young girls who dreamed of being professional footballers, despite their parents' wishes.

Speaking with Metro.co.uk about the potential for a sequel, Chadha said: "With all this talk of the World Cup and the popularity of women's football, in the past I haven't thought about.

"I never really wanted to make a sequel to the film, because I just thought the way Parminder and Keira 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."

More like this
Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley in Bend it Like Beckham
Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley in Bend it Like Beckham Film Council / LionsGate

The film was one of the earliest in Knightley's career, after she had previously appeared in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. She has since gone on to star in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Love Actually and many more films.

Meanwhile, Nagra has had roles in numerous series, including Maternal and Agents of SHIELD, and is currently starring in ITV police drama DI Ray.

Read more:

It is currently unclear whether the potential sequel film would continue to follow Nagra and Knightley's characters Jess and Jules, or whether it would follow a new group of girls vying to make it in professional football.

Chadha's comments come after England got to the final of this year's Women's World Cup, but were pipped to the post by the Spanish team.

Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

Advertisement

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10, PLUS a £10 John Lewis and Partners voucher delivered to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement