On Wednesday November 11, 2015, the trailer for “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2” premiered on The Today Show. Nia Vardalos, writer and star of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” (2002) was in the studio to promote the film.
The sequel, which Vardalos also wrote and starred in, began filming in May of this year in Toronto. The original producers of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson and Gary Goetzman are returning, with director Kirk Jones (“What To Expect When You’re Expecting) appearing to be the only change.
“My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2” will bring back fan favorites and was filmed in all of the original locations. Vardalos confirms that the newest installment will feature all of the original cast members including: John Corbett (“Sex and the City”) as Ian Miller, Lainie Kazan ("Pearly Gates") as Maria Portokalos, Michael Constantine (“Room 222”) as Kostas Portokalos, Andrea Martin (“Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb") as Aunt Voula and Joey Fatone (N*SYNC) as Cousin Angelo. Vardalos’s real life husband, Ian Gomez ("Cougar Town"), will also return as Ian’s best friend, Mike.
The shoe appears to be on the foot with Toula Porokalos-Miller (Vardalos) and company now planning her parent's big fat Greek wedding, as the trailer shows their marriage is invalid due to an oversight. The film will also showcase Ian (Corbett) and Toula's marriage along with their relationship with their daughter, Paris (Elena Kampouris).
In a 2012 interview with The Huffington Post, Vardalos credited her chemistry with her on-screen husband based on the fact that Corbett and she never had sex. “We have such an easy chemistry together.” Vardalos said. “And we have chemistry because we never ‘did it’.”
The sequel comes 13 years after the original film was released. With a lowly budget of just $5 million the film became a box-office hit. It was an independent film that Hanks and Wilson believed in.
Vardalos told The Today Show that it was her fault that the sequel didn't happen until recently. Vardalos only writes what she knows, so she couldn't write a sequel until she had a child of her own. "Once I became a mom I understood all those feelings.” Vardalos said, “On my daughter’s frist day of kindergarten somebody said something and that was it, I had the idea for what the sequel would be.”
Since its release in April of 2002, it has become a worldwide phenomenon. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” grossed over $360 million in total, with about $240 million of that coming from domestic viewers.
“My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2” is currently scheduled to be released in theaters on March 25th, 2016. That same weekend “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” is set to be released, after adjusting from its original date of May of 2016 to avoid competition with “Captain America: Civil War.”
Will “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2” be able to conquer “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” at the box-office?
Do you think the sequel will be able to live up to the success of its predecessor, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”?