Netflix has officially confirmed The Inbetweeners reunion move, announcing that production begins today with Simon Bird, James Buckley, Blake Harrison and Joe Thomas reprising their roles from the original hit show and movies.
The announcement ends months of speculation over the revival of the hugely popular coming-of-age sitcom, following the misadventures of suburban teenager Will McKenzie and his friends Simon Cooper, Neil Sutherland and Jay Cartwright, which was originally broadcast on Channel 4 between 2008 and 2010.
The platform gave a first look at the cast in their reprised roles more than 15 years after their last appearance in a short clip, showing them as young men getting into the battered yellow 1996 Fiat Cinquecento Hawaii edition car given to Simon Cooper by his parents after he passed his driving test in series one.
There were no further details on the storyline for the characters, whose lives were first captured as they navigated school life, friendship and failed sexual encounters at the fictitious Rudge Park Comprehensive.
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The Inbetweeners creators Damon Beesley and Iain Morris have returned to write and direct the film, which will be produced by Claire Jones alongside Banijay’s Patrick Holland and Fudge Park Production’s Mark Lesbirel.
“It’s been super-fun hanging out with our friends again, and we’re going to work hard every week to ensure there are no problemos making this new film for humans,” said Beesley and Iain Morris, who will also serve as executive producers alongside Caroline Levy, Caroline Leddy, Phil Gilbert, Suzanne Knight, Tom Jordan and Farhana Bhula.
The original show scored ratings records for Channel 4 over its three series, and then spawned two successful Film4-backed movies which released in 2011 and 2014 respectively.
The first went straight in at No.1 in the box office and set a record for the biggest opening weekend for a UK comedy at the time of its release with the sequel also breaking box office records.
News that The Betweeners was on the cusp of returning began circulating last October when Banijay UK CEO Holland said the group was ‘plotting more adventures” under a deal struck with Banijay UK and Fudge Park Productions more than a decade ago.
