By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
John Tucker Must Die is getting a sequel and we only want ONE THING
This was a gay awakening for so many millennials.
Apparently John Tucker Must Die is on the cusp of making a comeback in a real way — a sequel has been written, with plans for the original cast to return. But what’s the film about? And more importantly, what should it be about?
Three of its stars — Jesse Metcalfe, Arielle Kebbel, and Sophia Bush — reunited at Epic Cons Chicago over the weekend, where they dished on what’s in the works.
“The rumor is true,” said Kebbel. “I started producing a few years ago. There is a script. We are very proud of it. It does involve all of the OG cast…That’s pretty much all I can say for now.”
John Tucker Must Die revolved around three jilted exes (Kebbel, Bush, and Ashanti) who pursue revenge on the titular high school playboy (Metcalfe) after he cheated on all of them. They find it in the form of coercing his new pursuit, Kate (Brittany Snow), to go along with their plot and break his heart for a change.
If you’ve seen a teen comedy from the 2000s (JTMD was released in 2006), you can already guess how this one goes. But it was a fun ride, and the film’s popularity has outlived its poor Rotten Tomatoes score for a reason.
While Kebbel isn't spilling the beans on what the current iteration of the sequel is about, Metcalfe has previously said that he would love to do a version where he plays “the uncle or father of the new John Tucker.”
The cast joked around about the John Tucker of it all during the panel, but real ones know exactly what scene made this movie so important to millennials — specifically, millennials who were in desperate need of a gay awakening.
As part of their plot to emotionally devastate John, Beth (Bush) has to quickly school Kate on how to be a good kisser. And what’s better than a hands-on demonstration?
Was there anything serious about this? Of course not. It was the 2000s. Casual queerness that was intended to be queer and not just a fun dalliance was essentially non-existent in mainstream movies.
But if a sequel to John Tucker Must Die really happens, my god, it’s time to take that scene seriously. Forget introducing other queer characters (jk — absolutely do that, too). The original cast comes back, something needs to happen with Kate and Beth, if for no other reason than to take all the “girls kissing for the male gaze” we were subjected to in that era to its logical evolution — actual queerness.
It doesn’t hurt that both Snow and Bush have amassed queer followings of their own over the years. Bush herself is currently dating Ashlyn Harris, and knows perfectly well just how many One Tree Hill fans still think her character and Hilarie Burton Morgan’s should have kicked Chad Michael Murray to the curb and ended up together. As for Snow, don’t even get me started on Pitch Perfect.
Basically, there’s an audience for this sequel. And that audience wants one damn thing.
Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.
Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.
