This year marks the 20th anniversary of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, the sequel that introduced Verne Troyer’s Mini-Me, Dr. Evil’s tiny clone, to this kooky spy world. Mini-Me was a standout during that movie and the 2002 follow-up Goldmember, but sadly, Troyer passed away last year.
While there’s been frequent talk over the years about making Austin Powers 4, Jay Roach, director of the Austin Powers movies, isn’t sure the movie can happen now without Verne Troyer’s involvement. He said:
To be honest, I don’t know how we’d do it without Verne. We always had ideas of revealing a whole life that he had that would have taken his character much further. If Mike [Myers] cracks it and figures it out, we would definitely do some kind of tribute to him. I’m there if he ever wants to do it.
It’s been said multiple times that Austin Powers 4 would revolve more around Dr. Evil (although Mike Myers is also game for the character to lead a spinoff), so it makes sense that Mini-Me would have played a big role as well. In 2017, Verne Troyer even teased that Austin Powers 4 would reveal that Mini-Me can speak, having been mute during his first two appearances.
However, Verne Troyer’s death complicates things, and as Jay Roach told Independent, he’s skeptical if Austin Powers 4 can move forward now. That said, Roach is still game for the project if Mike Myers figures out a way to adjust the story properly and still honor Troyer with a tribute, which Myers has expressed interest in doing.
Austin Powers 4 has been a topic of discussion since as early as 2005, though it took another half decade before script work started. A year before Verne Troyer passed, Jay Roach said the reason this project has been in development hell for so long is because he and Mike Myers didn’t want to do it unless they “came up with something that lived up to the concepts” in their minds, and that hadn’t happened yet. Plus, Myers has been preoccupied with parenting over the last decade, so, you know, priorities.
Despite Jay Roach’s concern about Austin Powers 4 not working without Verne Troyer, Mike Myers said last November that the chances of Austin Powers coming to fruition were “looking good.” Granted, that was eight months ago, so perhaps Myers’ opinion on the matter has changed, but it definitely seems like we’re the closest we’ve ever been to Austin Powers 4 actually happening, even though there are still some obstacles to surpass.
Given that it’s been 17 years since Goldmember came out, it helps that Mike Myers has helped keep the Austin Powers property in the public consciousness through his various Dr. Evil appearances, like on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Saturday Night Live. But those aren’t the same as a new Austin Powers movie coming out, so hopefully Myers and Jay Roach will eventually decide whether or not to actually move forward with the project, as opposed to keeping it in stasis.
Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for any major updates concerning Austin Powers 4. For now, you can keep up to date with what’s coming out for the rest of the year with our 2019 release schedule.
