On Friday Variety reported the unexpected news that a Troop Beverly Hills sequel is getting a khaki-shaded greenlight. Fans of the beloved comedy immediately began to sing.
The 1989 romp follows the misadventures of Phyllis Nefler (played with comic perfection by Shelly Long), a rich socialite who ends up leading her local chapter of “Wilderness Girls.” The film co-stars Craig T. Nelson, Mary Gross, and Betty Thomas, with turns by the young Jenny Lewis, Carla Gugino, and Tori Spelling among others. Cameos include everyone from Dr. Joyce Brothers to Robin Leach to Pia Zadora, so you can see why this movie, while not an initial box office sensation, is now remembered as a classic.
The sequel will be produced by Laurence Mark, whose notable credits include Working Girl, Jerry Maguire, Dreamgirls, and Julia and Julia. His most recent success is The Greatest Showman, which means that if someone for whatever reason has to ride an elephant in this thing, he knows who to call.
It will mark the feature debut for Oran Zegman, an Israeli-born director, actress and Student Academy Award finalist. The initial draft of the script was written by Aeysha Carr, a Brooklyn 99 writer and supervising producer currently working on the reboot of Planes, Trains & Automobiles. She is also showrunner of Woke, currently in post-production. The script is currently being polished by Tamara Chestna, who adapted the novel Moxie for Amy Poehler and is working on a musical based on Diane Warren’s catalogue.
No word has yet been given about casting for the new film, but only last year the troop gathered at the Beverly Hills Hotel for a reunion filmed by Entertainment Tonight.
The 1989 comedy’s pop culture footprint remains significant, with Kim Kardashian throwing herself a Troop Beverly Hills-themed party in 2015.
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