What will Luca Guadagnino direct after he wraps work on “Artificial,” due in theaters next year? Well, the Italian auteur has several irons in the fire, but the latest project he wants to do may be the most surprising.
In a new joint interview with his “After The Hunt“ cast for Variety, Guadangnino expressed enthusiasm in directing a sequel to “My Best Friend’s Wedding.” Yes, that’s right: the 1997 romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and Dermot Mulroney. After Roberts confirmed that producers are “talking” to her about a potential sequel, Guadagnino butted in with “Can I…?” “He wants to direct it,” Chloe Sevigny joked. The interviewer looked to Guadagnino: “Can Luca direct it”? “In a second,” he replied.
So how real is all of this? Well, news broke that Sony Pictures had a sequel to the rom-com in mind in late July, with “Materialists” director Celine Song tapped to write it. But Robert isn’t confirmed to return for ir, nor are her co-stars Mulroney and Rupert Everett. But, in terms of Guadagino’s involvement, the director’s chair is still open, so he could feasibly sneak in and helm it if he pushed for it.
Then again, Guadagnino has a knack for attaching himself to projects that never get off the ground. Most recently, that’s “Sgt. Rock” over at the DCU, a movie DC Studios co-head James Gunn “killed” so Guadagnino wouldn’t look bad. The same story goes for the director’s “Scarface” adaptation that was in the works a handful of years ago, and very likely for Guadagnino’s “Lord Of The Flies” adaptation over at Warner Bros. Will other potential projects for the director, like Guadagnino‘s “American Psycho” revamp at Lionsgate, meet the same fate? Only time will tell.
Then there’s the case of Guadagnino suddenly moving ahead to direct a new project out of nowhere, leaving other things in active development behind. That tracks for both “After The Hunt” and “Artificial,” two films that leap-frogged over other films Guadagnino fans thought would arrive next, like “Separate Rooms.” In other words, as beloved as Guadagnino is in some cinephile circles, he may not be a trustworthy director when it comes to predicting what he’ll make next. That’s part of the fun with him, but it also means one should take his enthusiasm helming a “My Best Friend’s Wedding” sequel with a gigantic grain of salt.
Then again, a Celine Song-Luca Guadagnino team-up looks intriguing on paper. It’s certainly a more formidable pairing than the 1997 original’s writer-director team of Ronald Bass and P.J. Hogan. Hogan hasn’t directed anything in thirteen years, while Bass’s clout as a screenwriter waned before 2000. It’s all but assured neither of them will be involved in the potential sequel at Sony, but then again, will Roberts actually come aboard to reprise her role? The actress, now 57, is well past parts like a food critic looking to sabotage her male lifelong friend’s nuptials, although the sequel could focus on her character’s relationship with Everett’s George instead.
Enough with hypotheticals, though. The story behind the story here is that Guadagnino obviously liked working with Robert on “After The Hunt.” Will their next gig together be a “My Best Friend’s Wedding” sequel or something else entirely? When it comes to Luca Guadagnino, it’s always hard to guess where his career will go next.
