'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' Sequel Engages a New Director and Studio

Grab your Windex and an extra helping of baklava, because My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 is definitely happening. Reported earlier this year that Nia Vardalos was returning for a sequel to her surprising 2002 hit, Variety is now reporting that Universal has picked up distribution, just as a new director has come aboard to walk the film down the aisle.

Kirk Jones (Nanny McPhee) will direct My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, which will reunite the quirky Portokalos family for an even bigger wedding and the revelation of a family secret. Vardalos will be back to write and star, tweeting back in May that her own experiences with motherhood made her ready to tackle the sequel. That may also be why she decided on Jones as he recently directed the pregnancy comedy What to Expect when you're Expecting. She'll be co-starring alongside John Corbett, returning to play her husband.

Somebody out there is excited about this, but it ain't me. Is there still an audience out there for this? The first film caught lightning in a bottle and subsequent attempts to cash in on it have fallen flat. Remember the awful TV show? No word on when filming begins but it's probably going to be soon.

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Nia Vardalos to Write and Star in 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' Sequel

Want to know what was REALLY, like inexplicably popular back in 2002? Your grandma would tell you it was My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and she would be completely right. So was the comedy's star and writer, Nia Vardalos, for that brief moment when the $5M comedy earned nearly $370M and propped up Greek stereotypes for the world to see. Gas ran out on the gag pretty quick, leading to the short-lived TV series My Big Fat Greek Life, and while Vardalos has often entertained the idea of a true sequel only now is it starting to come into shape.

Vardalos is set to write and star in the follow-up, with HBO and Tom Hanks' Playtone on board to produce. John Corbett will be back as the guy Vardalos' character fought hard to win the heart of in the first film, and it sounds like their relationship will be entering a new phase...

Vardalos: “Now that I’m experiencing motherhood, I’m ready to write the next chapter of my family story. Of course, a few jaded folks in the press corps will claim I ran out of money or just want to kiss John Corbett again. One of these things is true.”

All jokes aside, Vardalos' career has been defined by My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and she's found little success on the silver screen outside of it. She followed it up with the high-profile flop Connie & Carla, then tried to rekindle the Corbett magic with I Hate Valentine's Day, a film few saw and even less remember. That's not to say Vardalos has been unsuccessful as a whole. She's currently on tour for her bestselling book, Instant Mom, and has written screenplays for other films.

No word on when filming would begin or who will direct,  but I'm guessing Windex sales will be booming.  [Variety]

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