The mid-2000s saw R-rated comedy experience a new lease of life in terms of both critical adulation and commercial success. American Pie may have gone some way to reviving the genre at the turn of the millennium, and the charge was largely spearheaded by Judd Apatow and his regular troupe, but one of the most pivotal movies in the movement was Wedding Crashers.
David Dobkin’s film straddled that sweet spot between R-rated raunch and genuine sweetness, bolstered by two top tier comedic performances from Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. Christopher Walken, Isla Fisher, Rachel McAdams, Jane Seymour and Bradley Cooper all lent solid support, but it was the central duo who provided the backbone of Wedding Crashers‘ popularity.
It hauled in almost $290 million at the box office on a $40 million budget, and for a long time that seemed to be the end of it. Dobkin did admit on several occasions that he’d toyed with the idea of a sequel, though, while just a few months ago, Vaughn revealed that he and Wilson had been talking to the director about it for the first time in any sort of meaningful capacity.
There’s still no official update from the studio, but we’ve now heard from our sources – the same ones who told us Luke Skywalker would be returning in The Mandalorian and that a new Exorcist movie is in the works – that Wedding Crashers 2 is in active development, with Dobkin, Vaughn and Wilson all expected to return. There’s not much more available than that unfortunately, but the premise will surely need to be given a serious overhaul given that the two leads are both in their 50s, and a couple of middle-aged guys sneaking into weddings to try and hit on women probably wouldn’t play too well with modern audiences.
