Right, so I’m just going to come right out and say it. Austin Powers 4 is happening. It’s real, because it has been confirmed by Mike Myers confirmed. Not hinted at it or playfully teased about it. He actually Confirmed it! Well… I never thought I’d see the day that Austin Powers graces our screens again.
The last Austin Powers movie, Goldmember, arrived back in 2002. Yes, a whole twenty-four years ago. Some of you were toddlers at the time and many of you weren’t even born when Austin was still saving the world in velvet suits. But, to be fair, Myers has spent years keeping the possibility alive. Every time someone asked about a fourth film, he’d respond with some variation of “I can neither confirm nor deny the existence or non-existence of such a project.” Very Austin Powers of him, really. The man stays in character even in interviews and he successfully turned avoiding the question into an art form. Which then became a running joke.
But then something happened that got the internet in a frenzy. The Verizon commercial appeared with Myers back in full Austin Powers mode alongside some of his former co-stars. This got everyone excited and immediately suspicious at the same time. People questioned whether the AD was just poking fun or was this leading to something bigger? Turns out, something bigger is coming. During an appearance on Trevor Noah’s World Cup Watch Party, a fan decided to ask the question everyone else had been dancing around. Is Austin Powers 4 actually happening? Myers replied with a simple “yes.” That’s it. Just a yes. There was no explanation, supporting details or any timeline for that matter. Just yes. And somehow that single word managed to answer everything and absolutely nothing at the same time in the classic style of Mike Myers.
This is both the most satisfying and most frustrating answer he could have given. If you’ve followed these movies over the years, you’ll know Myers has previously said he’d love to explore Dr. Evil more. This is if a fourth film ever happened. Which makes sense because, let’s be honest, Dr. Evil often stole the show. Every time he appeared on screen, he became the funniest person in the room.
Director Jay Roach has also spoken about the possibility over the years. His stance was always pretty straightforward. They wouldn’t come back unless they found a genuinely good reason to do it. It’s clear that nostalgia alone isn’t enough. His exact words were that they can’t just come back and do it for the sake of doing it. They’d need something that tops what they had before, including Beyoncé and Michael Caine in Goldmember, which is a genuinely high bar. And I agree, it is a fair point.
So where does that leave us? With a yes and not much else, which is admittedly more than we had yesterday. But still very little to go on. Just Mike Myers on a World Cup Watch Party saying yes to a fan and sending the internet into a collective spiral. And I totally get why some are cautious. I mean 24 years is a long time between comedy sequels. And the world has changed quite a bit since Austin Powers was running around in velvet suits and terrible teeth.
But here’s the thing — so has Mike Myers. And if he says he’s found the mojo to do this again? I’m inclined to believe him.
Yeah, Baby, Yeah!
