Ben Stiller, the actor of Mystery Men, has broached the prospect of coming for a sequel to the 1999 superhero comedy, which has gained a loyal following despite its ticket sales failure.
Stiller was asked if he’d consider a Mystery Men sequel in a talk with ComicBook.com, considering that viewers had heated to the movie in the years following its first-time theatrical release. He admitted that he had so much fun while filming it with a great cast and surely be inspired by it a lot.
Mystery Men was a satirical take on the superhero genre, starring Stiller as Mr. Furious, an unprofessional crimefighter who got his wrath as his sole superpower. Mr. Furious joins forces with other heroes to save Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear), a true superhero who has been abducted by villainous Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush).
Along with Stiller, there is a weird supporting cast, namely Hank Azaria’s The Blue Raja, who tosses silver weapon at his enemies, William H. Macy’s Shoveler, who works in quarry and keens on using a shovel as his main weapon, and finally, Janeane Garofalo’s Bowler, who owns a very unique weapon that is a bowl having her dad’s skull inside. Other fellows of the motley group have abilities such as lethal farts and invisibility which only operate when no one is watching.
Despite the fact that Mystery Men bombed at the box office, with only $33 million worldwide, which is half of its budget, many believe the superhero spoof was not released at the right time but ahead of time, mocking the concept of rough superheroes before popular films like Deadpool and the series The Boys.
If a Mystery Men follow-up gains traction, it won’t become the first time Stiller appears in a follow-up to a box office flop that eventually becomes a folk masterpiece. Given the ongoing popularity of the 2001 first version, which focused on a male figure indoctrinated to assassinate Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Stiller directed, co-wrote, and acted in 2016’s Zoolander 2. The comic actor is no newcomer to repeats in general, having spawned smash franchises with 2000’s Meet the Parents and 2006’s Night at the Museum.
Stiller is now announcing the new Apple TV+ original series Severance, a futuristic office thriller that is directed and produced by him. Adam Scott, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, and Patricia Arquette are among the show’s celebrity cast members.
Severance is available on Apple TV+ soon on Feb. 18.
