Mystery Men star Ben Stiller discussed the possibility of returning for a sequel to the 1999 superhero spoof, which has developed a cult following since initially flopping at the box office.
In an interview with ComicBook.com, Stiller was asked if he’d consider a Mystery Men follow-up given that audiences have warmed to the film in the years since its theatrical debut. “That’s the first I’m hearing of it, but sure. I’m all for it,” he said. “I had fun doing it. Yeah, it would be a blast. It was a really, really fun cast. And there’s still some rage and fury inside me somewhere, I think.”
An irreverent spin on the superhero genre, Mystery Men starred Stiller as Mr. Furious, an amateur crimefighter whose only superpower is his rage. Teaming up with other would-be heroes, Mr. Furious sets out to rescue a legitimate superhero named Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear) after he’s kidnapped by supervillain Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush).
Stiller was joined by a supporting cast of oddball characters that included Hank Azaria’s The Blue Raja, who hurls silverware at his enemies, William H. Macy’s Shoveler, a quarry worker who wields a shovel as a weapon, and Janeane Garofalo’s Bowler, who fights her opponents with a sentient bowling bowl containing her father’s skull. Additional members of the ragtag crew possessed powers like deadly flatulence and invisibility that only works as long as no one is looking.
Although Mystery Men flopped at the box office, earning just over $33 million worldwide against a $68 million budget, many consider the superhero parody to have been ahead of its time — ridiculing the idea of unpolished superheroes years before hit movies like Deadpool and the Amazon series The Boys.
Should a Mystery Men sequel get off the ground, it wouldn’t be the first time Stiller appeared in a follow-up to a box office disappointment that later became a cult classic. Stiller directed, co-wrote and starred in 2016’s Zoolander 2 following the enduring popularity of the 2001 original, which centered on a male model who’s brainwashed to kill the Prime Minister of Malaysia. The comedy star is no stranger to sequels in general, having launched 2000’s Meet the Parents and 2006’s Night at the Museum into blockbuster franchises.
Stiller is currently promoting the upcoming Apple TV+ original series Severance, a dystopian workplace thriller for which he serves as director and executive producer. The show’s star-studded cast includes Adam Scott, John Turturro, Christopher Walken and Patricia Arquette.
Severance debuts on Apple TV+ on Feb. 18.
Source: ComicBook.com
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