Opinion: Necessity of a ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ sequel doubtful

Kim Dailey
Fri, 18 Apr 2014 00:39:42 +0000
Campus, mara wilson, mrs doubtfire, nanny, robin williams, sequel

Movie poster for the 1993 film ‘Mrs. Doubtfire.’

As if Hollywood couldn’t shell out anymore sequels from the past — your favorite Scottish nanny is set to return to the big screen.

“Mrs. Doubtfire,” the 1993 film starring Robin Williams in the title role, is set for a sequel from “Elf” writer David Berenbaum, according to “The Hollywood Reporter.” Directed by “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” director Christopher Columbus, the original film earned more than $400 million worldwide and an Oscar award for best make-up.

The dramedy follows the story of Daniel Hillard (Williams), an actor who disguises himself as Mrs. Doubtfire, his female Scottish nanny alter ego, in order to see his children held under custody by his ex-wife Miranda (Sally Field). The film is based on the Anne Fine novel “Alias Madame Doubtfire.”

As much as I love the film, I say let’s keep the original film in the VHS case. We already have upcoming sequels from years ago, such as the “Dumb and Dumber” sequel, set to release Nov. 14 of this year, and “Beetlejuice 2,” which was confirmed by the original film’s star Michael Keaton in an interview with MTV.

Mara Wilson, who played one of Williams’ children in the film, said it best in a tweet.

“For the record, no, I do not have anything to do with the Mrs. Doubtfire sequel, nor will I.” she said Thursday on her Twitter account, @MaraWritesStuff.

“Sequels generally suck unless they were planned as part of a trilogy or series. I think Doubtfire ended where it needed to end.”

The fact that there is a list on Den of Geek! that documents 105 film sequels that are currently in the works blows my mind, which makes me question how long Hollywood will wring out the sequel sponge until it dries up.

Wake up America. If we can come close to creating the Death Star from “Star Wars,” we can petition to Congress to let movies from the past remain only children. We the people.