Red Notice director Rawson Marshall Thurber says he’d possibly make a Dodgeball series based on the 2004 film. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story was Thurber’s first film, which he both wrote and directed. The film starred Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Christine Taylor, Rip Torn, Justin Long, Stephen Root, Joel David Moore, Chris Williams, Jason Bateman, Missi Pyle, and more. The comedy pits two rival dodgeball teams, one headed by Vaughn and one headed by Stiller, against each other at an annual Dodgeball competition in order to win control of the other’s respective gym.
Thurber went on to direct a number of films after Dodgeball, including 2013's Jason Sudeikis/Jennifer Aniston comedy We're The Millers, the Dwayne Johnson/Kevin Hart comedy Central Intelligence, and Johnson’s action thriller Skyscraper. Red Notice is Thurber’s third collaboration with Johnson and his first with Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot in what is one of Netflix’s biggest feature productions to date. His next film is the action thriller The Division, based on the Tom Clancy game and starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain.
A sequel to Dodgeball has long been rumored, but has never come to fruition. However, Thurber says he’s still open to exploring it. Talking to Deadline, the director was posed with the question of continuing Dodgeball as a TV show, potentially starring Johnson and Reynolds on opposing teams against Vaughn and Stiller. Thurber said he’d “never say never,” but that he’d never initially thought of Dodgeball as a series until then. He goes on to say he’s “really proud” of the film and that a series would have to be “the right take” in order to make it a reality. Here’s his full quote:
"You know what — never say never. I never thought about Dodgeball as a series, but that actually might be fun. I’m really proud of Dodgeball — it’s my first film and something people still really like it seems. I would say never say never, and it would have to be the right take on it. But yeah, maybe."
Stiller and Vaughn had a Dodgeball reunion back in 2017 for an Omaze campaign, reprising their characters for the promotion along with Taylor, Long, Pyle, and Duff, but an actual sequel simply never happened. The film has become a bit of a cult favorite and both Vaughn and Stiller have gone on to do a multitude of projects ever since. Stiller has turned much of his attention to directing of late, including the hit series Escape at Dannemora, while Vaughn has continued with more comedic roles, as well as dramatic ones, including turns in Brawl in Cell Block 99 and the horror-comedy Freaky.
The popularity of Dodgeball cannot be understated. It’s an oft-quoted comedy gem with some great characters. Everyone plays up to one type or another and it makes for an engaging film that’s ripe with personality (as well as comedy gold). A sequel to Dodgeball feels like a no-brainer in terms of execution, as it would really be more about getting the characters back, rather the creating a complex narrative. Thurber appears to have his sights set on other projects, however, as do Stiller and Vaughn, but stranger sequels have happened, so Thurber’s “never say never” feels like the apt response to the possibility of more Dodgeball.
Source: Deadline
