Inconceivable! William Goldman Says He's Having Trouble Writing 'The Princess Bride' Sequel

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by Benjamin Wright
October 4, 2012 4:39 PM
4 Comments

Even if you aren’t morally opposed to the idea of sequels, it’s hard to fathom that a long-dormant – yet still incredibly popular – title or franchise could produce a sequel that would live up to the expectations of the fans. For every time a studio thinks that a “Ghostbusters 3” or “The Dark Crystal 2” is a good idea, there’s examples like “The Godfather Part 3,” “Tron: Legacy” or at the bottom of that barrel – “The Son of Mask.”

One title that’s long been rumored to have a sequel in the works is the classic 1987 Rob Reiner film “The Princess Bride.” With a working title of "Buttercup's Baby," the story idea William Goldman has so far (and has written as an extra chapter in printings of the book) involves a villain with no skin on his face kidnapping Westley and Buttercup's daughter, Waverly, and throwing her off a cliff, with Fezzig, her babysitter, leaping off after her to protect her from the impact. But he still seems stuck on where to go next.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary at the NYFF (along with a solid anniversary Blu-ray release this week), director Rob Reiner, writer William Goldman and cast members Billy Crystal, Robin Wright, Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Carol Kane, Wallace Shawn and Chris Sarandon were on hand to talk about the film – with Goldman sharing his thoughts on the idea of a sequel. “I’m desperate to make it and write it and I don’t know how,” said Goldman, a writer who’s had no problem cracking difficult stories for scripts like “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “All the President’s Men.” “I would love to make it, more than anything else I’ve not written.”

Some other interesting tidbits were discussed at the event, most of which we covered in our own “5 Things You Might Not Know About The Princess Bride” feature, but of course this sequel bit is what most will flock to. It seems like Goldman is certainly game for giving himself the challenge of doing another 'Bride,' but given how long this has been talked about with zero follow through, we don’t see this ever happening. Unless an ill-conceived reboot or remake is in store, we think the original film has plenty of gas left in the tank to keep running for many more years.

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4 Comments

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Laurie Mann | October 6, 2012 3:45 PMReply

Perfect works don't need a sequel...
karl | October 5, 2012 9:05 AMReply

Happy Anniversary Princess Bride! Come see our 1 minute or full 2 hour feature 'tribute' remake at www.princessbrideretold.com
Katie | October 4, 2012 10:40 PMReply

I'm not sure who that is in the little picture bubble but it's not William Goldman. At least not the William Goldman the article is about.
Interesting article all the same. I hope he figures out how to write it because I'll be first in line.
Alan | October 5, 2012 4:55 AM

Yeah, have no idea who that is. Goldman is this guy: http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb57887/shazam/images/c/c4/William_Goldman.jpg. And is it any surprise that he has struggled to write the film? It's possibly his most loved property, it means a lot to both him and his family and have you seen anything he has written lately (post-Misery)?