Gurinder Chadha confirms sequel to cult hit Bend It Like Beckham after 23 years fan pressure

Bend It Like Beckham, the trailblazing British football film that launched the careers of Keira Knightley and Parminder Nagra, is officially getting a sequel — more than two decades after the original won hearts and shattered expectations.

Director Gurinder Chadha confirmed the long-rumoured follow-up is now in development, with a planned release in 2027, perfectly timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the 2002 classic and the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

The original film told the story of Jess Bhamra, a British-Indian teenager navigating culture clashes, family pressures, and a fierce love of football. It went on to become a global hit, grossing nearly £60 million worldwide on a modest £3.5 million budget. Now, Chadha is ready to revisit the characters — and the questions they sparked.

“We’ve been part of changing the game for women,” she told the BBC, “so it felt like a good time to go back and investigate the characters.”

Chadha revealed she has been asked “almost twice a week” for the last 23 years whether she would make a sequel. For years, her answer was no. But that’s changed. Inspired by the Lionesses’ rise and a growing cultural shift around women’s sport, Chadha says she now sees “still stuff to say — and stuff to challenge.”

She hasn’t yet confirmed whether the sequel will be a film or a television series. But her vision is clear: to reflect how far women’s football has come — and how far it still has to go. “There are people who still don’t think women should play football,” she said. “Although the Lionesses are riding high, it’s not taken seriously by everyone.”

Chadha hopes to reunite the original cast, including Knightley and Nagra, and hinted that members of the current England women’s team would be “queuing up” for cameo roles.

The story of Bend It Like Beckham remains deeply personal for Chadha. Speaking in 2003, she explained that the title itself is a metaphor for resilience and adaptation. “We can see our goal,” she said, “but instead of going straight there, we too have to twist and bend the rules sometimes to get what we want.”

The original film famously drew inspiration from a photo of Ian Wright wrapped in a Union Jack. That image sparked a question in Chadha’s mind: what does Britishness really mean? Her answer — expressed through football, family, and feminism — became one of the most beloved British films of its generation.

It was also a cinematic first: Bend It Like Beckham became the first Western film publicly screened in North Korea, featured no football doubles, and introduced Knightley and Nagra as serious acting talents. Neither had played football before — both endured three months of training to perfect their roles.

For Chadha, it was never just about sport. “What I did was say you can do what you want, and you can have it all,” she said. “And I think that’s a really great message to put out again.”

More than twenty years after Jess and Jules broke the mould, the sequel is coming — ready to challenge a new generation and reignite the fire that made the original a cultural milestone.