While James Bond is still chugging along 56 years after he made his big screen debut in Dr. No, the character who's a parody of 007, Austin Powers, has been absent for 16 years. There's been talk for a long time about whether or not Austin Powers 4 will actually be made, and Mike Myers' latest comment suggest that currently the fourthquel stands a good chance of moving forward. When asked when we're going to see the next Austin Powers movie, Myers responded:
Well you're gonna see Dr. Evil soon, somewhere in the culture. But the movie, you know I've had three kids under the age of 7. They take a long time to write, they always have. Jay [Roach]'s been super crazy. He's doing a fantastic movie right now that he's working on. But... it's looking good.
Between family life and working on other creative endeavors, it sounds like there just hasn't been any time for Mike Myers and director Jay Roach to collaborate on Austin Powers 4 over the years. However, listening to Myers' tease while speaking with Access, he makes it sound like rather than just being a pipe dream, the pieces are starting to fall into place for Austin Powers 4.
It's important to clarify that this does not officially mean that Austin Powers 4 is happening. Even if the project is finally coming together over a decade and a half after the release of Goldmember, it may be a while before New Line Cinema announces it's on the way. Still, for people who've been eagerly waiting for Myers to don the glasses, sketchy-looking teeth and colorful suits again, this update is surely most welcome.
Two years back, Jay Roach, who directed all three of the Austin Powers movies, stated that Austin Powers 4 was in a "latent phase," but that might change if he and Mike Myers found the right idea. A year later, Myers echoed that sentiment, saying that they didn't want to make Austin Powers 4 until they came up with something that "lived up to the concepts" in their minds. If Myers feels confident that Austin Powers 4 is "looking good," then it seems that the men finally thought of a worthwhile idea.
Mike Myers has previously expressed interest in having Austin Powers 4 be told from Dr. Evil's perspective, so maybe that's still the idea he and Jay Roach are most comfortable tackling. Or maybe those two have changed their minds and want Austin Powers 4 to more closely take after its predecessors. Sadly, because Verne Troyer passed away, we wouldn't see Dr. Evil paired with Mini-Me again, but Myers has hinted that Austin Powers 4 might contain a tribute to Troyer.
I'm also intrigued by Mike Myers revealing that we will see Dr. Evil again soon, though not in Austin Powers 4. In 2014, Myers reprised the bald criminal mastermind for a Saturday Night Live cold open, and earlier this year, Dr. Evil showed up in a sketch on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Methinks another one of these brief appearance from the man who loves sharks with frickin' laser beams and doesn't understand currency amounts might be on the way.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates about Austin Powers 4, particularly if it gets an official green light. For now, you can plan your visits to the movie theater over the next year accordingly by looking through our 2018 and 2019 release schedules.
