Shelley Long and Betty Thomas reveal plans for a follow-up about the continued adventures of the Wilderness Girls.
Beverly Hills, what a thrill -- and it is still. It has been 30 years since Troop Beverly Hills, the feel-good comedy about a swanky socialite-turned-den mother, was released and when ET reunited the cast, talk inevitably turned to a sequel.
"I think we should do it. I actually know that Sony has a script over there," said Betty Thomas, who played the villainous Velda Plendor opposite star Shelley Long. "They've had it for a long time," Long chimed in.
It makes sense that a follow-up was not immediately greenlit -- neither the reviews nor the box office was anything to write home about, only developing a loyal following in the decades since -- but we're in an era where everything old is new again, and Troop Beverly Hills is '80s IP worth revisiting in the age of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
The sequel's script, which Thomas admits is "not quite good enough yet," apparently does not center on Long's Phyllis Nefler or any of the now-grown Wilderness Girls. "They're talking about a new cast," Long said, adding, "We could have some cameos!"
"I actually know that there's a person going in to pitch it with the idea that I would direct it and that she is going to do the rewrite on it," Thomas, who semi-retired from acting following this film and segued into directing, revealed. "I'm not supposed to say any of this!"
Which means it's not too late to write in some of our favorites. Long loves the idea that Phyllis became National Director of the Wilderness Girls. "She went back with her husband, they got married again and had another child." As for the rest of the troop, here's where they would be today:
AQUILINA SORIANO, who played Lily Marcigan: Lily was the exiled dictator's daughter. I think she would actually be hosting her own talk show in the Philippines, possibly. Like, an uber-star in the Philippines.
KELLIE MARTIN, who played Emily Coleman: My character, Emily, was the poor girl and her dad was an out-of-work, washed-up actor so I feel like she would be very wealthy somehow. She would've made some money, maybe become a producer or studio exec so she could hire a lot of actors who haven't worked in a while.
TASHA SCOTT, who played Jasmine Shakar: [Jasmine would be] a boxer. Ric Flair 2.0. A wrestler, somethin'. You know, you follow in the footsteps.
HEATHER HOPPER, who played Tessa DiBlasio: I think that since Tessa had so much therapy -- she was always in therapy -- it probably inspired her to become a therapist, a psychiatrist or a psychologist. I definitely think she would be in that field.
DINAH LACEY, who played Velda's daughter, Cleo Plendor: To get away from my mother-- [Laughs] No, to get away from everything, I probably would have been like Peace Corps or Habitat for Humanity. I would have gone the opposite way.
TORI SPELLING, who played Jamie of the Culver City Red Feathers: I'm going to flip it and say I would be a Beverly Hills troop leader now. I mean, it was the opposite. I came from Beverly Hills to Troop Beverly Hills, did Beverly Hills, 90210, Beverly Hills is in the blood. So, I would have to somehow go back to my roots and do Beverly Hills again.
And Velda?
"Velda is a lying cheat and she doesn't tell the truth," Thomas said. "I think I'd be running for president!"
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