Still hoping for a Bridemaids sequel? We wouldn't recommend holding on for one more day.
Because nearly from the moment Kristen Wiig released the wickedly funny, raunchy rom-com she wrote with longtime friend and fellow comedian Annie Mumolo on May 13, 2011, she was clear they weren't wedded to a follow-up. "Annie and I aren't planning a sequel," she insisted to The Hollywood Reporter just eight months after the film eclipsed box office expectations, settling an "Are women actually funny?" debate the creators weren't aware was even happening. Having spent the previous five-plus years fully committed to the project, they were ready to move on. Added Wiig, "We are writing something else."
That turned out to be their escapist romp Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar. Released this past February to much acclaim, the flick incited another round of pleas for Bridesmaids to head back down the aisle. And after 10 years to think about it, Wiig's answer was a resounding...no thank you.
Noting that they had "other ideas" in the works, Wiig explained to Andy Cohen during a SiriusXM Town Hall with Mumolo and their Barb costar Jamie Dornan that they "weren't really interested in, like, going back and writing another one."
That's been the case this entire time, though the former Saturday Night Live standout worried that gave people the wrong idea. "I just don't want it to be translated as a negative thing, because we obviously love the movie," she continued. They just felt as though "we told that story and we were just so excited to do other things. I mean, Bridesmaids is obviously very close to our heart and we love it."
The film—which introduced the world to an unknown Aussie named Rebel Wilson and the comedic force that is Melissa McCarthy, the actress previous known as Gilmore Girls' Sookie—grossed nearly $300 million worldwide. Audiences turned out in droves to laugh along with Milwaukee-based bride-to-be Lillian (Maya Rudolph) and her squad, including her spiraling BFF Annie (Wiig), immaculately put-together Helen (Rose Byrne), naive newlywed Becca (Ellie Kemper), cynical housewife Rita (Wendi McLendon-Covey) and foul-mouthed future sister-in-law Megan (McCarthy).
Nominated for a Best Picture Golden Globe, it also earned Oscar nods for screenwriters Wiig and Mumolo and supporting actress McCarthy and even stoked renewed interest in '90s pop group Wilson Phillips, their surprise cameo at Lillian's wedding serving as the perfect cheesy dance-filled send-off.
And while a decade later, it seems unlikely that things will go our way re: a sequel, we are still, as Annie would say, readdddy to paaaaartay. So scrap together your funds for that plane ticket, because we're taking a trip down memory lane.
Watch Bridesmaids any time online here!
This story was originally published on Thursday, May 13, 2021 at 12 a.m. PT.