Celebrity Extra: Bend It Like Beckham
By Dana Jackson
Q: Are they really filming a sequel to the movie "Bend It Like Beckham"? Will the original stars be in it as coaches or something? -- D.E.
A: Yes, a sequel to the 2002 independent-movie-turned-smash-hit "Bend it Like Beckham" is in the early stages of development. It's aiming for a 2027 release, which would coincide with the original's film 25th anniversary.
Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley in "Bend It Like Beckham". Photo Credit: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures
According to Entertainment Weekly, stars Keira Knightley, Parminder Nagra, Archie Panjabi and Juliet Stevenson are all interested in reprising their roles. Whether some will be coaches or parents of a new team remains to be seen.
The movie launched the careers of Knightley and Nagra. Knightley went on to star in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies and earned two Oscar nominations ("Pride & Prejudice" and "The Imitation Game"). Meanwhile, Nagra starred on the hit series "ER" for six seasons and most recently starred in the crime drama "D.I. Ray," which you can stream on Amazon Prime Video or PBS.
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Q: Is it true that this coming season is the last one of "Law & Order: SVU"? How many years has it been in total? Has it been longer than the original "Law & Order"? -- N.C.
A: Season 27(!) of NBC's "Law & Order: SVU" will premiere on Sept. 27 at 9 p.m. ET, but it's certainly not the final one. The ratings for the show are solid, and I imagine they would want to continue until it reaches a milestone number like 30 before concluding.
For comparison, the animated comedy "The Simpsons" has been on Fox for 36 seasons and has been renewed through season 40. "SVU" is the longest-running live-action series. Its predecessor, the original "Law & Order," was on for a total of 24 seasons but went on hiatus between 2010 and 2022.
Some familiar faces will be guests on "SVU" this fall, including Chris Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler. He currently stars in another spin-off "Law & Order: Organized Crime" as Stabler. Joining him for this special episode -- or possibly more -- will be Dann Florek as Capt. Cragen, who departed "SVU" in 2021. It was also recently announced that franchise veterans B.D. Wong and Dean Winters will star in guest roles during the season. They played Dr. George Huang and Detective Brian Cassidy on various seasons since 2001.
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Q: Is Cameron Diaz going to act in anything else again? I know she did a movie with Jamie Foxx after quitting acting for several years. -- S.S.
A: Movie star Cameron Diaz retired from acting for almost a decade before returning to film "Back in Action," opposite Jamie Foxx. This didn't go smoothly as Foxx was hospitalized for a stroke. He didn't return for several months as he underwent physical rehabilitation. The film wasn't well-received by critics but was a modest hit on Netflix.
As for Diaz, she's not done yet as she has several projects in the works, including "Shrek 5," the film "Outcome," which is being directed by Jonah Hill ("Moneyball"), and another Netflix project, the action-comedy "Bad Day."
Send me your questions at NewCelebrityExtra@gmail.com.