:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Parminder-Nagra-Keira-Knightley-072725-2-d1bda921fd8540b48473a679b2629b82.jpg "Bend It Like Beckham sequel in the works more than 20 years after the original")
"I'm pretty certain that everyone's going to want to come back,&34; director Gurinder Chadha said. Bend It Like Beckham sequel in the works more than 20 years a
"I'm pretty certain that everyone's going to want to come back," director Gurinder Chadha said.
Bend It Like Beckham sequel in the works more than 20 years after the original
"I'm pretty certain that everyone's going to want to come back," director Gurinder Chadha said.
By Jessica Wang
Jessica is a staff writer at , where she covers TV, movies, and pop culture. Her work has appeared in Bustle, NYLON, Cosmopolitan, InStyle, and more. She lives in California with her dog.
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Published on July 27, 2025 10:37PM EDT
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Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley in 'Bend It Like Beckham'. Credit:
20th Century Fox
Gurinder Chadha is working on a prequel to *Bend It Like Beckham*, the 2003 sports cult classic about a young Indian woman (Parminder Nagra) whose dreams of playing pro soccer clash with her strict immigrant parents' ideals.
In the comedy, Nagra starred as Jess Bhamra, a teenager who goes against her parents' wishes and competes in matches in secret once she's enlisted by fellow player Jules Paxton (Keira Knightley) for a semi-pro team. Jonathan Rhys Meyers also starred as Jess' coach, Joe, whom she takes a liking to.
Stars Nagra and Knightley, as well as Archie Panjabi (who played Pinky) and Juliet Stevenson (Paula), are "aware that a sequel is being developed," Chadha told Deadline, but "want to see a script before they commit."
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Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley in 'Bend It Like Beckham'.
20th Century Fox
"I'm pretty certain that everyone's going to want to come back," Chadha said. "Everything hinges on the script and if the original cast likes it. I am working really hard to make sure every character I bring back has a decent arc."
No plot details yet, but Chadha intends to once again co-write the screenplay with husband Paul Mayeda Berges. She also collaborated with Emma Hayes, head coach of the U.S. women's national soccer team, to help shape the script. The goal is a 2027 release to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the film's U.K. 2002 premiere.**
How 'Bend It Like Beckham' bent the rules and became a girl power classic
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The original film, its title a nod to none other than former soccer player David Beckham, was a box office hit, grossing $76.6 million against a budget of roughly $6 million. It even inspired a 2015 West End production.
"I think people underestimated the power of girls wanting to see films where they were empowered," Chadha told ** of the film's enduring success in a retrospective in 2018 ,alongside stars Nagra and Panjabi. "Those hardly ever existed."
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"People love a story about an underdog," Nagra added. "*Billy Elliot* did it. *Rocky*. Somebody who has to struggle and is going up against everybody else's version of what they think that person should be. And I think that's what resonates with people: If you put the hard work in and the persistence, eventually it'll pay off."**
Source: "AOL Movies"
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