Ben Stiller says he would love to make a ‘Mystery Men’ sequel

"There’s still some rage and fury inside me somewhere, I think"

Ben Stiller has said he would love to make a sequel to his 1999 superhero film ‘Mystery Men’.

The oddball comedy follows a team of “loser superhero wannabes” with impressive powers who are required to save the day following the release of super villain Casanova Frankenstein (played by Geoffrey Rush) from prison.

In a recent interview, Stiller was asked whether he would be open to reprising his role as Mr. Furious in a sequel to Mystery Men.

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“That’s the first I’m hearing of it, but sure. I’m all for it. I had fun doing it,” he told ComicBook. “Yeah, it would be a blast. It was a really, really fun cast. And there’s still some rage and fury inside me somewhere, I think.”

In addition to Stiller, Mystery Men also stars Hank Azaria, William H. Macy, Greg Kinnear, Janeane Garofalo, Paul Reubens, Kel Mitchell, Wes Studi, Geoffrey Rush, Lena Olin, Eddie Izzard, Claire Forlani, and Tom Waits.

Upon its release, the film was met with generally positive reviews, however it bombed at the box office, grossing just $29.7million at the domestic box office on a $68million budget.

Regardless of its lacklustre financial performance, Mystery Men has gone to develop a substantial cult following as an underrated take on the superhero genre.

Last year, Stiller came under fire for denying the presence of nepotism in Hollywood.

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The actor, who is son to esteemed comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, took to Twitter to defend an upcoming project that had been announced via Deadline.

The short film, called The Rightaway, is directed by Steven Spielberg’s daughter Destry Spielberg, and Stephen King’s son Owen King. Sean Penn’s son Hopper Penn is to star in the film, which is reportedly about conspiracy theorists.

After a number of people called out the film for the number of celebrity offspring involved, including producer Franklin Leonard, Stiller stepped in, tweeting: “Too easy @franklinleonard. People, working, creating. Everyone has their path. Wish them all the best.”

He added in a later response: “Just speaking from experience, and I don’t know any of them, I would bet they all have faced challenges. Different than those with no access to the industry. Show biz as we all know is pretty rough, and ultimately is a meritocracy.”

However, Leonard rejected Stiller’s claim. “If it were, how do you explain the utter lack of diversity behind the camera? Lack of merit?” he wrote.

Stiller replied: “100 percent agree. Diversity is much bigger issue,” he wrote. “No question. And I see your point, access is access. So yes. I’m saying that untalented people don’t really last if they get a break because of who they are or know or are related to.”

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