Keira Knightley is ready to kick around some ideas for Bend It Like Beckham 2.
More than 20 years after the release of Bend It Like Beckham, a follow-up is officially in the works, and the actress is sharing her vision for where the story could go.
Back in 2002, Knightley starred alongside Parminder Nagra in the groundbreaking sports movie, which helped popularize women’s soccer in the U.K. The two played Jules and Jess, young footballers determined to chase their dreams despite pushback from their families. Now, with women’s soccer more celebrated than ever, director Gurinder Chadha is gearing up to revisit the iconic story.
“I’m excited to revisit the original characters and revive the enduring story and build on the legacy we helped to create for the women’s game,” Chadha told Deadline in July 2025, when the sequel was announced. The London-based filmmaker revealed she’s been working on the idea for nearly two years, but her inspiration crystallized after attending the Women’s European Championship final in Switzerland. Witnessing firsthand how the sport had grown into something “more competitive, more exciting, and more global than ever” gave her the push to move forward.
While there’s no official confirmation that the original cast will return, Chadha hinted that she’s optimistic. “They are aware that a sequel is being developed, but they obviously want to see a script before they commit,” she said. Still, she admitted she feels “pretty certain” about everyone coming back.
As for Knightley, the Pirates of the Caribbean star — who has admitted she’s hesitant about doing franchises after that massive trilogy — seems open to reprising her role. In a September 2025 interview with British Vogue, the actress revealed she’s already been brainstorming plotlines with her Woman in Cabin 10 director, Simon Stone.
“He was like, ‘Jules has got to be a coach now.’ I was like, ‘Right, but what’s happened to Jess?!’ He was like, ‘She’s the coach of the other team and they’ve got this rivalry going on.’ Simon does now want payment for that idea,” she joked.
Knightley also touched on a long-standing fan theory — that Jules and Jess were secretly written as a couple. “We did think that at the time [laughs], we were like, ‘Obviously, we’re a couple.’ […] And are they together? Maybe they’ve split up and they get back together? I mean, who knows – 25 years is a long time, there’s so much that could have happened.”
