Paul Feig Says A 'Spy' Sequel Will Have Way More Jason Statham

Aug 28, 2023

Paul Feig is a little busy with the small matter of the new, female driven Ghostbusters movie (perhaps you’ve heard about this from entertainment websites or comments sections under articles about literally any topic), but that guy, his brain's always cranking. And luckily, at some point in the past year or so, it was cranking with ideas about sequels to his 2015 comedy Spy and ways to get the best part of the movie — Jason Statham's bumbling hyper-macho self-parody, Rick Ford — into more of them. As was mine. Although Paul Feig's thoughts on the matter are slightly more important.

About those thoughts: Feig told Empire that Spy is the first of his movies he could see becoming a franchise, and that star Melissa McCarthy is interested, and that he has "a story for it, and a funny idea that will kick it off that involves Statham." This is all tremendous news. It turns out Feig loved that character as much as the rest of us.

"Susan Cooper is one of my favourite characters I’ve ever come up with," continues Feig, "but Rick Ford is possibly the one I’ll take to the grave with me. Will he get any more self-aware in the sequel? No, god no. He’ll get less self-aware."

How one finds room to get less self-aware from a starting point of "taking to sea" by commandeering a speedboat in a lake, I have no idea. But again, this is why Paul Feig's thoughts about it all are more important than mine. All I’ve been able to come up with so far is Rick Ford And The Hunt For The Face-Off Machine.

(NSFW audio)