Back in 2004 we were taught the five D’s of dodgeball; dodge, duck, dip, dive, and …dodge. Those immortal words, taught to us by Hank Azaria and Rip Torn as Patches O’Houlihan, have resounded in the hearts of millions for almost 20 years now. And while that previous sentence may bit a bit hyperbolic, the success of “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” was legitimately huge. It made over eight times its production budget and is a legitimately funny film. Oh, and now it’s getting a sequel.
There’s not much we know yet about the project aside from three details. The first is that it will once again star Vince Vaughn as the owner of Average Joe’s Gym, Peter LaFleur. You may remember him from his last go around when he was being threatened with closure by Globo Gym. The competing business is run by Ben Stiller‘s White Goodman, a hair obsessed idiot who’s as ridiculous as he is arrogant.
And while the second detail we know is that this film will continue the story of LaFleur, we don’t know if it will be once again vs. the likes of White Goodman. As of right now, the only confirmed returning actor is Vaughn.
The third detail we know is that the film will be written by Jordan VanDina. VanDina has previously worked with Vaughn on the 2020 film, “The Binge” and also wrote for the “Animaniacs” revival on Hulu. “Dodgeball” director and writer, Rawson Marshall Thurber is not currently known to be attached to the sequel. Thurber has been successfully active ever since his debut effort, most recently having written and directed “Red Notice” for Netflix. Thurber is reportedly linked to the upcoming sequels to the film, which if true, could make it difficult to be involved with this production as well.
“Dodgeball” had a strong cast, with a few of the actors becoming increasingly popular since the film released. Notably, Steve the Pirate played by Alan Tudyk, Gordon, played by Stephen Root, and Jason Bateman as Pepper Brooks, the absurdly stupid (and quotable) dodgeball commentator on ESPN 8, The Ocho. This is all in addition to the aforementioned Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn. Not to mention Christine Taylor, Justin Long, and the late Rip Torn. Special shout out too to Gary Cole as Cotton McKnight who plays as the straight main in the announcing booth to Pepper Brooks.
Getting a cast like this back together would be a tall order, and technically impossible considering the passing of Rip Torn, but the effort could be worth it, especially with the right script. “Dodgeball” was a surprise hit when it released and a sequel nearly 20 years later would have a hard time living up to the original. But just like how the 5 D’s of dodgeball has two dodges in it, maybe the film has another dodge left in it too.
