Spy was a hit comedy in 2015, and everybody involved was ready to do Spy 2. But nothing happened, and Melissa McCarthy has been chatting about it.
Amongst the absolute highlights in the respective careers of Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham and director Paul Feig remains 2015’s delightfully hilarious Spy. If you’ve not seen it, it sees Jason Statham as the hapless Rick Ford, with Melissa McCarthy’s Susan Cooper the underappreciated analyst thrust into the field.
With Rose Byrne, Jude Law, Allison Janney and Miranda Hart amongst the ensemble, the film also proved to be a solid hit, grossing over $230m on its $60m-ish budget. Furthermore, it’s remained popular since.
The James Bond-esque feel of Spy left the door wide open for further adventures, and yet none ever came. Now, in a new interview, Melissa McCarthy has shared the frustration that follow-ups were not forthcoming. Even back in 2015, one was being mooted, but it never happened.
In a conversation with Variety, McCarthy notes the current perception that comedies don’t work at the box office. “It’s a false narrative,”, she argues. “I’m stopped 15 times a day by somebody who says ‘I desperately need you to do another comedy.’ And I’m like, ‘We are trying. I’m trying!’ And people need it, that’s for sure.”
Specific to Spy 2, “we should be on the ninth Spy. Everyone on Spy was ready to re-rack immediately.”
Why didn’t it happened? She’s not quite sure, but the fact comedies make hundreds of millions rather than billions might be a problem. “For some reason, that model is no longer desirable. I can’t figure out the math of it.”
I’ve chatted to Paul Feig a few times over the years about the possibility of Spy 2, and he’s not been short of ideas as to where it should go. But I remember him mentioning studio disinterest in a follow-up at one point. He hit similar brick walls trying to get a studio comedy through the studio system. Whenever I interview him, it’s about the first question I ask. I never get the sense that the flame is entirely extinguished, but the chances are slim.
The interview with McCarthy is here.
