Today’s news that the movie adaptation for Absolutely Fabulous has begun shooting either put you in a state of feverish excitement or left you blinking in confusion. If you didn’t watch Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders’ BBC sitcom from the ’90s, in which the pair starred as two deliciously embarrassing middle-aged women, then you may want to circle back around and check it out. (Please do put your “this all happened in the 1990s” filter on before re-watching this show, because not all of the jokes hold up too well … but it’s a show that undeniably influenced the comedic stylings of all your femme friends, I bet, so you might want to check it out if only for history’s sake.)
If you do watch the show now, you’ll notice that Absolutely Fabulous comes out in stops and starts. The first few seasons aired in the 90s, then waved goodbye — but only briefly. The cast of characters returned in the early aughts for a few more adventures, then took another break before reappearing once more in 2011-2012. So, we’ve revisited the Absolutely Fabulous characters every five years or so, depending upon when Saunders decides to update us all about where they’re at. The movie comes just in time for another update on these lovable jerks.
Saunders wrote the film’s script, and Mandie Fletcher will direct. The long list of producers and executive producers includes Dawn French, with whom Saunders conceived the original idea for the series on their old sketch show French & Saunders — which is also worth revisiting, if you want to dive down a rabbit hole today. (I recommend their Lord of the Rings parody episode.)
(via Deadline, image via Variety)
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