Iconic film starring Keira Knightley confirmed for a sequel, 23 years on

It was a major – and unexpected – box office hit, and 23 years later, the sequel is finally on the way.

IN LONDON

More than two decades after the original, another Bend It Like Beckham is on the way.

Director Gurinder Chadha has confirmed she is working on a sequel to the hit 2002 film, which starred Keira Knightley and Parminder Nagra.

It will be released in 2027 in honour of Bend It Like Beckham’s 25th anniversary and also to coincide with the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

Bend It Like Beckham was a major box office success.

Chadha told the BBC she’d received requests for a follow-up “almost twice a week” since the release of the original, which was made on a $7.2 million budget and became a box office hit, making around $120 million worldwide.

“We’ve been part of changing the game for women, so it felt like this was a good time for me to go back and investigate the characters,” she explained.

It’s not yet clear whether the new instalment will be a film or TV series, but Chadha said she hoped to reunite some of the original cast members.

The original film starred Nagra and Knightley.

The sequel is expected to be released in 2027.

Bend It Like Beckham followed the story of Jess (Parminder), a British teenager from a traditional Sikh family who dreams of being a football star amid pressure to follow to settle down.

Jess befriends Jules (Knightley) and is recruited into the local women’s team, where she struggles to keep the secret of her growing dedication and passion to the game from her family.

It’s not yet known which cast members might return.

Chadha hinted that she’d been thinking about a sequel back in 2023, when she told The Mirror that for “the longest time” she had avoided the idea.

“But I have to say, after the World Cup this year, and also with the Euros a few years ago, my brain is ticking again and I have an idea in my head that I’m thinking through for the first time, she told the publication.

“I’m thinking that I could definitely do something. I never wanted to follow the girls off in America, because I felt that what I had created was so magical for that moment in time.

“It’s very hard with sequels – there are very few sequels that I think really hit the mark after the success of the first film.

“However, I do have an idea and I am starting to work on it, so I think I will definitely do something that shows how brilliant our athletes are right now.”