Long before director Elizabeth Banks put her unique spin on the most recent Charlie’s Angels reboot, the world saw Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu breathe new life into the ‘70s action series. Two successful movies with that team working alongside director McG still have people wondering if Charlie’s Angels 3 could happen with the cinematic OGs. While it’s not exactly a given, the helmer behind those movies does have some very specific thoughts on what it might take to get things off the ground.
As he spoke with EW, the man whose real name is Joseph McGinty Nichol sounded enthusiastic to potentially return for another round of explosive antics. However, he did include some caveats with those sentiments, especially when it came to his opinion on Elizabeth Banks’ variant of Charlie’s Angels. Here’s what Nichol had to say:
It would take a long discussion with those three wonderful performers who I adore. I was very happy to see Elizabeth Banks take the helm and do what she did, which was fun. There always seems to be chatter about that. I’m very happy to discuss it with Drew and Cameron and Lucy, but at the same time, I’m very happy to pass the torch. I mean, I love the Tim Burton Batman movies, I love the new Batman movies. It’s just sort of like there can be a keeper of the flame and you can pass the torch.
McG’s not wrong in his assessment of the situation, as it’s been 20 years since the release of Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. So naturally, the schedules of the leading ladies of his incarnation are way different than they were back in those days. Contrary to popular belief, Lucy Liu and her co-stars actually got along, with claims of their feuding behavior being nothing more than gossip.
So there’s a chance that Liu, as well as Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz, might be interested in getting the band back together. At the same time, McG isn’t possessive of his time on the Charlie’s Angels franchise, tipping his hat to the movie that unfortunately saw Elizabeth Banks bearing the brunt of its failure. Add it all up, and it spells an uncertain future for a potential Charlie’s Angels 3, which has Joseph leaving the matter with these final words:
Who knows? Maybe we’ve got one left in us that tells a very compelling story if the opportunity presents itself. I love the three of them so much. They put me on the map. They looked out for me when I was a first-time filmmaker. I was very nearly fired off that film on many, many occasions, and Drew stood up for me and I’m forever indebted to her. And obviously, those are three performers where God broke the mold. They don’t make ’em like that. I mean, those are three special ones.
As one of the best movie adaptations of a ‘70s TV show, the ’00s reboot to Charlie’s Angels clearly still has a devoted fan base buzzing over its potential return. It’s not impossible, but as McG laid out above, there are a lot of moving pieces that’d need to be put together to pave the way.
Who knows, maybe there’s room for a crossover between the 2000 reboot Angels and the newer generation from Elizabeth Banks’ film. While the world of entertainment sorts itself out on these matters, you can kick back with the nostalgia of that first McG-directed entry, which is currently streaming free with ads on Pluto TV.