Groovy Baby! Mike Myers has revealed in an interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that he’d love to return to one of his most iconic characters, the one, the only, Austin Powers! When Myers was questioned about whether he had anything planned for the character in the near future, the actor responded,
“I don’t have anything to announce… I can neither confirm nor deny the existence or nonexistence of such a project. Yeah, I would love to do it, of course, it’s fun… I have three kids under the age of 11, and I’ve been super super busy being a dad… I’ll see what I can do, Jimmy Fallon!”
Mike Myers is confusing us baby
While Myers’ vagueness about the status or nonstatus of a 4th Austin Powers project may be somewhat frustrating, his enthusiasm for the character means there’s still hope we could see one someday. Rumors of a 4th entry in the franchise have been popping up for years, going all the way back to 2002’s trilogy-closing Goldmember. That movie ended with a major revelation and setup for a potential sequel that Myers has discussed many times before, but obviously, nothing has come of it as of this writing.
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Of course, we haven’t gone entirely Austin-less since 2002. Myers suited up as the series villain Dr. Evil for 2 SNL sketches in 2014 and 2018, both of which were well-received by fans. Though he isn’t the household name he once was, Myers still pops up in films occasionally, with his most recent being a supporting role in the newly-released Amsterdam alongside Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, and Rami Malek among many others. His career took a major hit with the double whammy of The Cat in the Hat and The Love Guru, with the ever-popular Shrek franchise being his main source of pop culture relevance.
However, as we are in an unprecedented age of legacy sequels and actor comebacks, a 4th Austin Powers film that reinvigorates both the franchise and wider public adoration of Myers could be feasible.
The original film (subtitled International Man of Mystery) was a modest success at the box office on release, but, as with many films of that time, was a smash hit on video and lead to the greenlighting of a sequel, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. That film doubled down on the crude jokes, introduced some new characters, and dropped some old ones to see far greater financial success and a second sequel a few years later, Austin Powers: Goldmember. Goldmember was the biggest success of them all, reaching nearly $300 million in global ticket sales and ending with the potential for more.
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It’s been 20 years since that film as of this writing, and with Top Gun Maverick and Ghostbusters: Afterlife there is still audience interest in iconic properties from decades past, I wouldn’t put it past Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema to bring out the International Man of Mystery for one more swag-filled spectacle adventure. Of course, given that the character was originally conceived as a James Bond parody and the perception of Bond was changed thanks to the Daniel Craig era, seeing how the Austin Powers franchise would interact with that as well as the shift in cultural attitudes towards certain aspects of the character could make for great comedy if done properly.
As Myers said, he has nothing planned at the moment, but if the stars ever align and he gives us another installment, I’d be there in a heartbeat. The Illuminerdi will keep you updated on any groovy news regarding Austin Powers 4 should it arise.
What are your thoughts on a 4th Austin Powers movie? Would you be excited to see Mike Myers return to his iconic character? What’s your favorite entry in the series? What’s your favorite Mike Myers performance? Could you succeed as an International Man or Woman of Mystery? Let us know in the comments below and follow us on our Twitter, we’re always watching.
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