Of all of the bizarre creations that the Coen Brothers have wrought on this world, none may be more loved than The Big Lebowski. And, while the Coens have never done a sequel before, there's still a change a Big Lebowski follow-up could happen. John Turturro really wants to make a spinoff film about his character, Jesus. And while the Coen Brothers would be involved in a new film, they won't be behind the camera.
It's been a couple of years since John Turturro first mentioned his interest in making a film that would follow from The Big Lebowski but focus on Jesus, the briefly seen character he played in the first film. While we haven't heard anything definitive in that time, which would normally lead one to believe the idea wasn't going anywhere, the actor tells The Hollywood Reporter that the challenges in the way are legal ones. The fact that the Coen Brothers have notoriously avoided sequels isn't a problem, because they won't be directing the film if it ever happens and Turturro appears to have their blessing.
This would be something they would support with me.
The legal issue in question appears to be over who owns the rights to the Jesus character. The rights to the film itself were owned by Polygram, which wouldn't necessarily be a problem. Only Polygram no longer exists, so there's nobody there to negotiate with. However, John Turturro doesn't see that as the issue, because according to him, Jesus is a character that he created. He invented the character for a Spanish play he had done several years before the movie, and then the Coen's "borrowed" him for The Big Lebowski.
While there appear to be some fairly significant issues to iron out, John Turturro's language seems to imply that these issues are being dealt with. Turturro says that his lawyer is getting angry with him for discussing the matter because "until things are all signed" it's bad to talk about it. Of course, that statement implies that getting things all signed is on the table, which means that the Jesus movie may be closer to being a reality than we thought.
For as brief a time as Jesus spent on screen, he instantly became one of the most memorable parts of The Big Lebowski. We're certainly excited at the possibility of seeing him again. Now, the only question is, can we get Jeff Bridges and John Goodman to make brief cameos in his movie as well?
