Stealth Media Group asks: Why the Sudden Interest in Father of the Bride?

In the space of a day ‘Father of the Bride’ fans had their hopes raised and dashed with rumours and subsequent dismissals of the production of a third movie. At Stealth Media Films we’re wondering, why the sudden interest around ‘Father of the Bride?’

Stealth Media Films: We’re Veteran When it comes to Film Finance

Obviously, we’re film industry veterans here at Stealth Media films; we’ve been providing financing for a range of media projects for years. Being in the film finance game, we get why Hollywood execs would resurrect old blockbusters in a bid to raise cash, but why would generations who weren’t around the first time care so much?

And they really do. Lately we’ve seen the grip that 90’s blockbusters still have on the public’s imagination with the announcement of another ‘Mrs Doubtfire’ movie. People went crazy. So what is it about this particular 90’s relic that caught the attention of bloggers from here to LA and back again?

Father of the Bride: A Classic 90’s Comedy

And it really was a classic 90’s comedy. The first instalment (of two), released in 1991, was a reinterpretation of a 1950 film of the same name. Starring Steve Martin as the titular father, Dianne Keaton as his wife and Kimberly Williams as the bride, it told the story of a father’s struggle to accept that his daughter was getting married; that she was no longer his little girl.

It was hilariously funny and a hit with audiences, raking in almost £90 million at the box office on a budget of only $20 million. Obviously, ‘Father of the Bride’ has built up a vocal fan base, and as ‘Mrs Doubtfire’ proves, such a fan base can convince even the most frugal of film execs to resurrect an old relic. However, the sheer ferocity of the attention suggests there’s some other reason people got so excited.

Father of the Bride 3: Old Themes with a New Twist

‘Father of the Bride 3’ was in fact rumoured to explore same-sex marriage, and the father’s struggle to accept the fact that his son is marrying a man. Essentially, a vocal fan base mixed with what many have deemed ‘the civil rights issue of our era’ had everyone excited. Too bad Steve Martin commented the next day saying the whole thing was a rumour!

OK, so at Stealth Media we’ve had to accept that this isn’t true, but it’s taught us the power of the established film brand. Find a way to update a classic, make it relevant in today’s society, and the possibilities are endless!