There are a lot of fans out there clamoring for more ZOOLANDER, and Ben Stiller bless his underused funny bone has been trying to get a sequel off the ground for a few years. If it can happen to Ron Burgundy it can happen to Derek Zoolander right? Well the catch with ZOOLANDER is, in the studio’s mind anyways, that it didn’t do so well at the box office and its second (and very successful) life on home video wasn't enough to convince them otherwise. The last we heard about the project Stiller said he and Justin Theroux (who planned to direct) were working on the script; now it’s Theroux’s turn to offer an update.
In a recent interview promoting his HBO series The Leftovers (outstanding TV by the way), Theroux gave a rather positive ZOOLANDER sequel update:
“Yeah, we’ve got a script for the sequel, and we’ve just been in talks again. We’re trying to sharpen it and hone it and, actually, I don’t want to jinx anything, but it looks like it actually might be starting to get up and running… It’s actually been a little hard with the show, but now I’m back full-time to dedicate time toward doing it. I met with Ben [Stiller] a couple times when I was in New York doing The Leftovers, and then I’m meeting again with him probably in September.”
Theroux's comedy experience for those unfamiliar includes having written ROCK OF AGES and IRON MAN 2, but more importantly he also co-wrote TROPIC THUNDER which is the intentional comedy.
Theroux also said Stiller might get back in the director’s chair:
“I don’t think I’m going to [direct] it anymore. It really depends on whether the show gets picked up. If it gets picked up, then I don’t think I’ll have the time to do it. So it’ll probably get handed to Ben, which would be awesome.”
I’ve always been a backer of Stiller’s; if you forget the painfully unfunny drivel he’s been in, you will find he’s actually a very funny guy and a talented director too. Although I don’t think we need it, I’d welcome this sequel and hope that Stiller and company put to rest the back and forth saga of ZOOLANDER 2 once and for all.