Few ’90s comedies are as beloved as Alexander Payne‘s cult classic “Election.” Now, Deadline reports that Payne and Paramount Pictures have a sequel to the film in the works over at Paramount+, with Reese Witherspoon also on board to reprise her iconic role as Tracy Flick.
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Like the 1999 film, “Tracy Flick Can’t Win” is based on a novel by Tom Perrotta, whose sequel to his 1998 book came out in June. The upcoming movie will be another dark satire, with the over-achieving Flick in adulthood and still clawing her way to the top. Payne adapts Perrotta’s novel with long-time collaborator Jim Taylor, as he did for “Election.” Witherspoon also produces the project with Lauren Neustadter through Hello Sunshine, a Candle Media company. Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa also co-produce through Bona Fide Productions, with Perrotta on board as executive producer.
For those who haven’t seen “Election,” the film stars Matthew Broderick as Jim McAllister, a high school teacher who finds himself in a stand-off with Witherspoon’s Flick over the school’s presidential race. Payne’s sophomore effort after 1996’s “Citizen Ruth” was a critical juggernaut and still retains a cult following. Payne’s other films include “Sideways,” “The Descendants,” “About Schmidt,” and “Nebraska.” More recent films for the director include 2017’s “Downsizing” and the upcoming “The Holdovers” with “Sideways” star Paul Giamatti.
Witherspoon currently stars in Apple TV+‘s “The Morning Show” alongside Jennifer Aniston. Other recent roles include the shows “Little Fires Everywhere” and “Big Little Lies.” She also stars in the upcoming film “Your Place Or Mine,” which she also produces. Other recent producer credits for Witherspoon include this year’s “Where The Crawdads Sing” and “Lucy In The Sky.” She’s also a co-executive producer for “The Morning Show” and “Little Fires Everywhere.”
Other Tom Perrotta adaptations include Todd Field‘s 2006 film “Little Children.” HBO also adapted two of his novels into critically acclaimed series: “The Leftovers” and “Mrs. Fletcher.”
Is the world ready for the return of Tracy Flick? Expect “Tracy Flick Can’t Win” to have a late 2023 release on Paramount+ at the earliest.
