'10 Things I Hate About You' director says he's working on a sequel trilogy, with a nod to late star Heath Ledger
Gil Junger, who directed the beloved coming-of-age comedy, revealed in an interview that he's working on not one, but three sequels to the 1999 film.
Speaking to PEOPLE, Junger said that he, original producer Andrew Lazar, and writer Naya Elle James are developing a follow-up film titled 10 Things I Hate About Dating, which is intended as the first installment in a trilogy. 10 Things I Hate About Marriage and 10 Things I Hate About Kids would follow.
"10 Things I Hate About Dating is definitively in the works as a feature film. We're developing it right now," said Junger, 70, teasing that he and his collaborators have "some pretty good ideas."
Buena Vista/Getty Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles in '10 Things I Hate About You'
Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles in '10 Things I Hate About You'
Entertainment Weekly has reached out to Disney, the studio behind the original film, for comment.
The original 10 Things is a modern retelling of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, and sees Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Cameron strike up a deal with bad boy Patrick (Heath Ledger), in which Patrick will woo the abrasive Kat (Julia Stiles) so Cameron can date her younger sister, Bianca (Larisa Oleynik). In typical rom-com fashion, things soon get muddled as real feelings blossom between Patrick and Kat.
Junger noted that the new film would take its inspiration from Molière's 1666 play The Misanthrope, offering yet another contemporary retelling of a classic tale.
As for how the original film's cast might factor in, Junger said he'd "love" to work with Stiles again. "She shaped the lives of millions of women," he said. "That Kat character really spoke to young women in a very powerful way."
He also mentioned Larry Miller, who played Kat's overbearing father, as a possible returning cast member, though Junger admitted that he "hasn't thought" too much about casting just yet. "If it resonates with [the original cast] and I can have some cameos or even real parts, I'd love [that]," he said.
Asked whether the new film would pay tribute to late 10 Things I Hate About You star Ledger, who died in 2008, Junger said, "I think that's a beautiful idea, and the answer is now going to be yes."
Junger added, "He deserves to be loved."
Michael Bezjian/WireImage; Richard Cartwright/Touchstone Pictures Director Gil Junger; Heath Ledger in '10 Things I Hate About You'
Director Gil Junger; Heath Ledger in '10 Things I Hate About You'
10 Things I Hate About You marked a breakout role for Ledger, who cemented himself with films like A Knight's Tale, Brokeback Mountain, and eventually The Dark Knight, for which he posthumously won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Ledger was found dead in his Manhattan apartment on Jan. 22, 2008, of an accidental drug overdose attributed to a lethal mix of prescription medications. He was 28.
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Aside from Junger's planned movie trilogy, the 10 Things I Hate About You universe is also set to expand with a Broadway-bound stage adaptation. The musical, announced last month, will be scored by "Call Me Maybe" singer Carly Rae Jepsen and Ethan Gruska, with a book by Girls creator-star Lena Dunham and Jessica Huang.
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