Lucy Liu is well aware that we desperately want a new Charlie’s Angels movie.
But whether she’s up for another round as Alex isn’t the question we need to be asking: It’s whether Columbia Pictures is ready to give the fans what we want. On the red carpet for her film Red One, Liu spoke to Entertainment Tonight about the possibility of her returning for a future Charlie’s Angels film.
When asked if she had heard news of a reboot, Liu played coy, saying, “I don’t hear much of anything until it actually happens.” The reporter, on behalf of fans of the 2000 film, then asked the million dollar question: Would she return for another film if the opportunity arose? “I mean, I’m never going to say no to that,” Liu diplomatically replied.
“But I would be surprised to hear anything that gets done, or undone,” she continued, seemingly referencing the critically panned 2019 reboot of Charlie’s Angels. It would be interesting to see if a potential reboot with the original cast would acknowledge that reboot’s existence, especially given it takes place in the same world as the 2000 and 2003 films.
Although not entirely hopeful about the chances of a new film being made, Liu remains open to the possibility of returning. “You just never know until it happens,” she said. As the 2000 film approaches its 25th anniversary, Liu celebrated the legacy she left for young women along with her fellow angels Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz. She summed up the film’s charm, saying, “just being in a movie with three women who were together and were strong, and were also having fun … it wasn’t supposed to be anything that serious.”
Regardless, the film has had a serious impact on its fans, as evidenced by how often the film’s stars are asked about whether a new one is in the works. In January, Liu spoke with Variety about making another Charlie’s Angels, but was more pessimistic about the odds. “I honestly don’t know how that’s going to be feasible,” she said at the time. “In some ways, it’s such a strange thing to think about. Times have changed so much since then.”
Liu recognizes the film’s impact as a woman-led picture at a time when that was more rare. “It was such a strange thing for women to collaborate and be seen as colleagues and friends. It was such a big moment in time, and now it’s shifted,” she said, before adding she doesn’t expect a reboot anytime soon. “I would really be shocked if that happened.”
The Charlie’s Angels films are not perfect. Yes, they pass the Bechdel test, but the films are ripe with male gaze-y shots and impractical outfits, and were made in an era where the peak of feminism in film was women kicking butt in heels. Depending on your perspective, the Angels’ in-your-face sexuality is either empowering or degrading (though I’d argue, like many films of the time, it’s a bit of both). It’s hard to deny that the film, helmed by music video director McG and produced by Barrymore’s Flower Films, oozes style and Y2K girl power, two factors which helped cement its status as a fan fave from the era.
Liu and her co-stars continue to keep in touch and have expressed interest in making another film together. With the right script, the right budget, and the right team, who’s to say the Angels can’t make some more movie magic?
Published: Nov 13, 2024 09:24 pm