Dodgeball 2 Appears To Finally Be Underway At 20th Century Studios
With "Anchorman 2" and "Zoolander 2" coming over a decade after the original films were released, headway finally appears to be underway for "Dodgeball 2." Rumors have been swirling for years about a sequel to the iconic slapstick comedy, but this is the first real news as Deadline has reported that early development of the movie has started at 20th Century Studios.
Vince Vaughn, who starred as the original film's Average Joe's gym owner Peter LaFleur, is slated to return to the role. Meanwhile, Jordan VanDina has been hired to write the script. VanDina has worked with the funnyman in the past, having scripted the Hulu original film "The Binge," which Vaughn produced.
It is questionable at this time if the original film's writer and director Rawson Marshall Thurber will be returning to direct the follow-up. If the busy "Red Notice" filmmaker doesn't return for "Dodgeball 2," it is unknown who would be directing.
Ben Stiller once stood in the way of sequel talks, it is unknown if he'll return
Rawson Marshall Thurber directed a charity contest video, which reunited most of the "Dodgeball" cast for a short called "Play Dodgeball with Ben Stiller" in 2017. In turn, the reunion got a lot of the cast talking about a sequel. Ensemble cast member Justin Long noted that Vince Vaughn pitched him an idea for "Dodgeball 2" while they were working on the Vaughn-scripted spoof "Christmas with the Campbells."
Long said that he would love to see it come to be, but the team was waiting on Ben Stiller, who wanted to make sure the sequel was just right before agreeing to return. Stiller was still reeling from "Zoolander 2" bombing critically, and he was the one standing in the way of "Dodgeball 2" from happening — likely in light of this.
The "Dodgeball" sequel lists Vaughn as having written the story for the film, but it isn't known if it's the same story he pitched Justin Long. Vaughn previously fanned the flames of sequel talks when he told The Hollywood Reporter back in December of 2022 about the idea.
"I had an idea that was fun, and the studio likes it," Vaughn said, "so we'll see where it goes."
While things appear to be going forward, no official casting announcements have been made at this time beyond Vaughn.