A 'Bridesmaids' sequel minus Kristen Wiig? It may happen....

"We are over the moon with the success of Bridesmaids, and if we do a sequel we want to get it right". 

That statement comes from a rep at Universal, and apparently to the studio "get it right" may mean proceeding without star Kristen Wiig. They must be on dope or somethin'. It's been strange, considering the phenomenal success of Bridesmaids, that there has been zero movement on a sequel. The principles have moved on to bigger and better things, but everytime Wiig or somebody mentions a follow-up to the $280M grossing comedy, nothing's being done. What's the hold up?


Most of the roadblocks seem to stem from Wiig, who appears to have no interest at all. Instead she's been more than happy tackling other projects, such as a comedy that would re-team her with Bridesmaids co-writer, Annie Mumolo. Wiig also has the independent comedy, Imogene, starring Annette Bening, and the Jennifer Westfeldt comedy, Friends With Kids. This summer she'll make her biggest jump yet as part of The Comedian, directed by Sean Penn and starring Robert De Niro. With all that on her plate, why should she ever do a film she has no desire to be in?

THR, who broke the story, say that a lot of the problem has to do with money. Go figure. The cast may not have been happy with the pay they received on the back end. Universal would likely dig pretty deep to bring Wiig and the rest of the gang back for Bridesmaids 2, but as of right now that doesn't look to be happening.

So what would a sequel without Wiig look like? Hard to say, but it would likely focus on Melissa McCarthy's character, the other clear break out star.  This wouldn't be totally outside the norm for Universal, who are in the process of doing the same thing with The Bourne Legacy, leaving aside disgruntled star Matt Damon and moving forward with Jeremy Renner. Could the same thing work here?

My answer? Probably not. Wiig was such an integral part of Bridesmaids' success that not having her there makes it a totally different experience. I love Melissa McCarthy, but her Megan character would get real old real quick as the centerpiece. If the entire cast is as pissed off as THR alludes to, then there's always the possibility nobody comes back. To the best of my knowledge nobody is contractually bound. Judd Apatow, who produced the film and arguably had his biggest hit with it, is said to be unwilling to make a sequel without Wiig in the lead.