Director Aims to Reunite Original Cast for a New Chapter in the Beloved Football Saga, Working with USWNT Coach Emma Hayes on Script
Washington DC, US – July 28, 2025 – Director Gurinder Chadha is currently in development on a prequel to her critically acclaimed 2003 (UK premiere 2002) sports comedy, “Bend It Like Beckham,” a beloved cult classic that explored the dreams of a young Indian woman to play professional soccer amidst the traditional expectations of her immigrant parents.
The original film starred Parminder Nagra as Jess Bhamra, a talented teenager who secretly pursues her passion for football after being recruited by fellow player Jules Paxton (Keira Knightley) for a semi-pro team. Jonathan Rhys Meyers also featured as Joe, Jess’s coach and love interest. The film resonated deeply with audiences worldwide, grossing an impressive $76.6 million globally against a modest budget of approximately $6 million, and later inspired a successful West End stage production in 2015.
Chadha confirmed to Deadline that the original stars, including Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Archie Panjabi (who played Jess’s sister Pinky), and Juliet Stevenson (who played Jules’s mother Paula), are aware of the prequel’s development. However, their commitment hinges on reviewing the script. Chadha expressed confidence in their return, stating, “I’m pretty certain that everyone’s going to want to come back. Everything hinges on the script and if the original cast likes it. I am working really hard to make sure every character I bring back has a decent arc.”
While specific plot details for the prequel remain under wraps, Chadha intends to co-write the screenplay once again with her husband, Paul Mayeda Berges, with whom she collaborated on the original. In an exciting development for the project, Chadha has also enlisted the expertise of Emma Hayes, the current head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, to help shape the script. This collaboration aims to bring an authentic and contemporary perspective to the evolving landscape of women’s football.
The goal is to release the prequel in 2027, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the film’s initial UK premiere in 2002. Chadha has revealed that she had been approached “almost twice a week since 2002” with requests for a sequel but only recently found a story that genuinely inspired her. “After 23 years and being unable to come up with a storyline that was as good as the original, I have finally found a fantastic story for a Bend It Like Beckham follow up,” she told The Guardian.
Chadha has previously spoken about the enduring success of “Bend It Like Beckham,” noting its impact as a “girl power classic.” In a 2018 retrospective with Entertainment Weekly, she explained, “I think people underestimated the power of girls wanting to see films where they were empowered. Those hardly ever existed.” Nagra added to this sentiment, highlighting the universal appeal of an underdog story: “People love a story about an underdog. Billy Elliot did it. Rocky. Somebody who has to struggle and is going up against everybody else’s version of what they think that person should be. And I think that’s what resonates with people: If you put the hard work in and the persistence, eventually it’ll pay off.”
The new project aims to build on this legacy and revisit beloved characters while also reflecting the advancements and increased competitiveness of women’s football on a global scale.