We’re somehow just three years away from Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery turning the ripe and randy age of 30, which seems fortuitous, considering Mike Myers’ titular lothario first emerged in 1997 after being held in cryogenic stasis for a 30-year stretch. So is it possible that after all these years, the fan-favorite super-cool spy could emerge from hibernation anew for a fourth feature hitting the 2025 movie schedule? Mike Myers probably won’t ever say no outright, but his latest update does inspire pangs of optimism.
The shagadelic franchise-spawning character has been rumored to return for a fourth film nearly since the Goldmember-infused third film released in 2002, so I have a specific container reserved for grains of salt to be taken with Austin Powers 4 news. That said, Myers’ consistently rosy outlook and genial personality always make his comments seem like swinging harbingers of the grandest news, baby, yeah.
So maybe I’m leaning too hard into that vibe when considering what he told TooFab when asked if Austin Powers was ever coming back. As he put it:
It’s ah … I would be surprised if it didn’t.
It’s not as if he said the ink is drying on the contracts, but the outlet does note that Mike Myers “chose his words carefully” when answering. Sure, that could mean he didn’t want to promise too much with a generically positive response, but considering how often he’s been fairly open and eager to get a fourth film made — both Myers and director Jay Roach have expressed willingness if the story works — this somewhat more cryptic response possibly indicates a positive-skewing change.
One reason Myers has given for not already having gone whole-hog into an Austin Powers return was due to his duties as a parent. He and wife Kelly Tisdale share three children: son Spike and daughters Sunday and Paulina, who are aged 13, 10 and 9, respectively. It’s possible that he’ll be more available to take on a potential return to the Powers-verse now that the kids are older, but that’s obviously not clear at this point.
Also, let’s not forget that Myers reprised Dr. Evil for a Super Bowl commercial along with other returning co-stars like Rob Lowe, which had fans hoping that a far bigger return was somewhere in the pipeline. That was nearly three years ago, so it doesn’t seem like there was instantly positive momentum coming out of it, but still.
Myers talked to CinemaBlend about shifting to TV for his hilarious Netflix series The Pentaverate, a project that definitely meant a lot to him as its creator. As a big fan of the hyper-goofy conspiracy comedy, I’ve been bummed that the series wasn’t given a second season, but I have to hope that fans gearing up for his beloved ogre’s return in the animated sequel Shrek 5 sparks enough public interest to convince him to get back in the bald cap for a new Austin Powers project.
For what it’s worth, Myers said less about Shrek 5 than he did about a possible return to Austin Powers, though that’s likely more due to avoiding spoiling any story topics. Still, returning for one project only makes other returns more plausible. And while we’re at it, let’s get some Wayne’s World 3 news on the table.