10 Things I Hate About You director Gil Junger has revealed that an entirely new trilogy of follow-ups is in development.
According to a new report, we could be in line to get a whole slew of projects following up on the classic 1999 rom-com, 10 Things I Hate About You.
Loosely based on William Shakespeare’s play The Taming Of The Shrew about a warring would-be couple, the 1999 film starred Julia Stiles and the late Heath Ledger. It retooled the play’s basic set-up into a classic American high school formula, with the teenage protagonists running afoul of each other at house parties, the football field and more, cleverly folding Shakespeare’s set-ups into genre conventions that we all know and love.
Gil Junger, the original film’s director, has revealed to People that over a quarter of a century later, the concept is being reimagined once more, with a trilogy being planned this time. Yikes.
Along with Andrew Lazar, the original film’s producer, Junger is also drafting the script with Naya Elle James, and they apparently have “some pretty good ideas” to make the story into three films, with the first to be called 10 Things I Hate About Dating and then 10 Things I Hate About Marriage and 10 Things I Hate About Kids. No spoilers in those titles, then.
Junger adds that the project hasn’t yet been approved (we assume that means by the studio), nor has casting begun.
The director does add that he hopes to work with Julia Stiles again, saying that, “She shaped the lives of millions of women. That Kat character really spoke to young women in a very powerful way.” Although Heath Ledger, the film’s other lead passed away in 2008, the filmmaker adds that the project will also pay tribute to him and offer parts or cameos to other members of the original cast.
While we’re always a bit wary of seeing multiple films announced before a single one has released, it unfortunately seems to be the way of the world these days. Still, the world – and especially cinemas – need more great romantic comedies, and if 10 Things I Hate About Dating can kickstart a new series that comes close to the high bar set by the original then that would surely be a good thing.
Infamously, 10 Things I Hate About You already has a sequel, it’s just never been released. 10 Things I Hate About Life began filming at the end of December 2012, with Evan Rachel Wood headlining. Buit when filming was interrupted for a bunch of reasons, and lawsuits started flying.
Finally, if reading this has you pining to revisit the 1999 classic, allow us to point you to an episode of the Film Stories Podcast where Simon looks at the story behind a rom-com that debuted in a year full of wonderful movies.
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