Bridesmaids 2: Rose Byrne Would Do A Sequel - But Only If One Thing Happens
Rose Byrne has one condition for a possible "Bridesmaids" sequel, and it makes perfect sense: she'll only do it if the entire original cast comes back.
"If all the girls were in, I absolutely would," Byrne told People Magazine recently. The actress played Helen Harris III in the extraordinarily successful 2011 comedy, who becomes an immediate nemesis to Annie (Kristen Wiig, who also wrote the film) as the two join the bridal party of Annie's lifelong best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph). Helen, who's absurdly rich, cultured, and married to the boss of Lillian's fiancé Doug (Tim Heidecker), has claimed Lillian as her new best friend, leaving the down-and-out Annie to fight for her best friend while struggling to keep up in the first place.
That said, Byrne knows that recapturing the magic of "Bridesmaids" could be tricky. "It's a hard act to follow because the first film was so great," she said to People. "It was so magical and so beloved." It certainly was; Byrne's co-star Melissa McCarthy earned an Academy Award nomination for her role as Doug's erratic sister Megan, and Wiig and her co-writer Annie Mumolo scored one as well for Best Original Screenplay. So will there ever be a sequel to "Bridesmaids," and what do Byrne's co-stars think?
Here's what Rose Byrne's Bridesmaids co-stars think of a sequel
McCarthy, for her part, is ready for a "Bridesmaids" sequel, like, right now. Also speaking to People — separately from Byrne — McCarthy said, "I would do a 'Bridesmaids' sequel this afternoon, right now. That group of women was the most magical thing ever. Almost all of us were really good friends already. I think it was such a magical time." She doesn't even care when or where, apparently, as she made clear, saying she'd do it if all the actresses are "in our 90s and Kristen and Annie are like, 'Should we team back up?' I'd be like, 'Yes. Yeah, we should.'"
Wiig is, apparently, a lot more hesitant. While doing press alongside Mumolo and their co-star Jamie Dornan for "Barb & Star Go to Vista del Mar" interview in 2021 — a movie written by Mumolo and Wiig, who also starred in it — Wiig told Andy Cohen on a SiriusXM Town Hall that she felt done with "Bridesmaids."
"We have said we weren't really interested in, like, going back and writing another one," Wiig said at the time. "But I just don't want it to be translated as a negative thing, because we obviously love the movie ... We feel like we told that story and we were just so excited to do other things." It's probably not impossible that "Bridesmaids 2" would happen, but without Wiig and Mumolo writing the script, it definitely wouldn't be the same.
What have Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, and Kristen Wiig been doing since Bridesmaids?
Whether or not Wiig is down for "Bridesmaids 2" might also depend on scheduling — considering how busy the cast is. Rudolph, Ellie Kemper, and Wendi McLendon-Covey are all busy enough, without even mentioning Byrne, McCarthy, and Wiig herself.
Byrne and McCarthy both made their comments about a potential "Bridesmaids" sequels while doing press for their current projects; Byrne stars alongside her "Neighbors" husband Seth Rogen in the new Apple TV+ series "Platonic," and McCarthy is currently reviving the Disney villain Ursula in the studio's live-action remake of "The Little Mermaid." (Byrne and McCarthy also teamed up in 2015 for "Spy," led by "Bridesmaids" director Paul Feig.) Wiig, beyond "Barb & Star," reprised her role on the Peacock reboot of "MacGruber" alongside Will Forte and is set to star in the upcoming Apple TV+ miniseries "Palm Royale" with Laura Dern, Allison Janney, and Carol Burnett.
Even if a second "Bridesmaids" movie never happens, the first one is still a pretty perfect comedy — and its talented cast is still working like crazy. Fans can hold out hope, though, that Wiig will change her mind.