Chadra explained that she does have some plans for a “good story” up her sleeve. “I didn’t want to do anything because I didn’t have a story,” she said. “And then I came up with a great story, really super-cool story. So now I’m inspired. Literally came up with it just about a month ago. It’s my very clear wish to bring the characters back very, very soon. Women’s football is more competitive, more exciting, and more global than ever.It is an honour for me to be a small part of it.”
Chadra has reportedly teamed up with Emma Hayes, who became head coach of the U.S. women’s national football team this year.
Hayes explained that Bend It Like Beckham has had a “massive impact” on her life. “I was Keira Knightley in Bend It. I cried in the cinema watching the film because I felt just like Jess and Jules,” she said, adding, ”There was no hope for women’s football in Britain then so I was going to the States to try my luck. Twenty three years ago I could never have dreamed of how much that film changed the women’s game and now I have the best job in the world-head coach of the U.S. Women’s national team.”
One thing we do know is that the sequel will aim to capture the same spirit as the original. The film “was about lifting up girls and saying, ‘You can do and you can be anything you want even though society dictates what you can and can’t do,’ and that message is still relevant today, even though we have women and women’s soccer sides so huge around the world,” Chadra said. “The film’s been part of that legacy, and I feel there’s more that I can do. So that’s what I’m writing and that’s what I’m focusing on. It will be hard-hitting, of course, but it will also be incredibly joyous.
“Let’s hope we can bring back that same joy and feel good about putting women and girls on the map like we did 23 years ago.”
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Who will star in the Bend It Like Beckham sequel?
No cast members have been confirmed yet, but Chadra is hopeful that many of the original actors will return to reprise their roles.
They “are aware that a sequel is being developed, but they obviously want to see a script before they commit,” she said, adding, “I’m pretty certain that everyone’s going to want to come back.”
That could include Nagra and Knightley as well as Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Joe, Archie Panjabi as Pinky and Juliet Stevenson as Paula, to name a few.
Is there a Bend It Like Beckham 2 release date yet?
Although the script hasn’t been written and the film hasn’t been confirmed, Chadra is hoping to aim for a 2027 release to mark the 25th anniversary of Bend it Like Beckham’s initial 2002 UK opening. Notably, it will be a key year for women’s football, with the FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament playing out in Brazil that summer.