Former Saturday Night Live cast member and all-time legend Mike Myers insists a fourth installment of his Austin Powers series will be forthcoming. Earlier this spring, Myers told reporters that the project is “in the works.”
More than 20 years after the last Austin Powers movie, what should we expect from a post-trilogy film with the iconic British spy? Can we expect to see changes in his arch-nemesis Dr. Evil? Will audiences who didn’t grow up with those characters and wildly successful movies embrace the humor?
Myers is expected to write the fourth Austin Powers movie and continue the story, which was last seen in the 2002 film Austin Powers in Goldmember. Previous films were Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999).
But Myers is not just the creative force behind the Powers stories, he played at least two roles in each film: Austin Powers and Dr. Evil. He also appeared as two villains: Fat Bastard and Goldmember. He received multiple nominations and wins for his work on the films from MTV Movie Awards and Teen Choice Awards.
Possible storylines for The Return of Austin Powers
Who knows what comedic rabbit holes Myers will travel down if and when he writes his fourth Austin Powers movie. But one thing we can be sure of are jokes. Lots of jokes.
In all of the Powers films, Myers has packed at least one lengthy scene where jokes are layered on top of each other, often with puns and double entendre.
We can expect to find out what Powers has been up to the the more than two decades since we last saw the hero. At nearly 70 years old, Myers is still in good enough shape to play the spy.
Of course for many fans, Dr. Evil will be the largest draw of any new Austin Powers flick. The quirky, thin-skinned, maniacal Dr. Evil stole all three films in this franchise with his slapstick, catch phrases, and well-placed pathos. How he interacts with his villainous criminal cohorts is always fun to watch. And what has become of his son, Scott Evil? Is it possible that Scott has assumed command of Evil Enterprises, despite his efforts to not be like his bald, feline-stroking old man?
We can also assume that there will be a new, beautiful woman to pal around with Austin Powers, the ultimate ladies man.
If the movie takes place in modern times, Powers will be a 1960s-era, swinging relic trying to understand social media, AI, and the Trump era. Will we get to see Austin contrasted against a fresh, young spy (Timothee Chalamet, anyone?)
As we saw with the other movies, the soundtrack will probably be a delight too.
Myers and his iconic film franchise
Myers’ ownership in the three Austin Powers films makes him one of the most successful former SNL cast members in history. The trio of films combined for more than $670 million in worldwide gross sales. The final two both exceeded $290 million in worldwide gross. Myers served as writer and co-producer on all three films. It is estimated that Myers is worth in excess of $250 million. But since the popularity of the Powers franchise (and two Wayne’s World movies that preceded it), his films have not reached near the acclaim or box office success.
In 2008, Myers released The Love Guru, a film he co-wrote and co-produced. But that comedy fell flat. Since, fans have been waiting for some return to form in the comedy genre from Myers. There have been rumors that he would roll out a third Wayne’s World movie, a film based on the iconic SNL sketch he created, and co-starred Dana Carvey.
A handful of former SNL cast members made appearances in the Austin Powers trilogy, including Will Ferrell and David Koechner, and former hosts Rob Lowe, Danny DeVito, Woody Harrelson, and John Travolta played roles or made cameos.
