30 years later, OG star says sequel to Matilda could still happen
Speaking on a podcast this week, the former child star of a ’90s favourite set out where a sequel actually stands.
If you've felt like every week comes with news of another blast-from-the-past film sequel, you're not wrong. Beetlejuice, Beverly Hills Cop, The Devil Wears Prada — Hollywood's out here raiding its own vault like it's a competitive sport. Now, Matilda — yes, the Roald Dahl classic with the world's most talented six-year-old — might just be next for the nostalgia treatment, three decades after the original sparkled in the '90s.
The original film premiered in 1996 and became a staple on "best Roald Dahl adaptations" lists.
Matilda: The Legacy Sequel Chatter
The noise started up again thanks to Mara Wilson, who played Matilda herself. She popped up at Fanboy Expo in Tennessee, and when inevitably cornered with "Matilda 2?" questions, she didn't exactly dodge. Instead, she gave the clearest signal yet that a sequel is at least on the table for her.
"People always ask me about doing a Matilda 2. And that could be possible."
Wilson didn't reveal scripts, NDAs or greenlights, but let's be honest, she's never even hinted at being up for more Matilda before. The timing's not bad, either: Matilda: The Musical absolutely smashed it in London, then again in cinemas with Netflix's 2022 adaptation, so the character's back in the cultural conversation with a new generation.
Sequels Are Never Simple
That said, there's a glaring problem: Matilda's story finished in a pretty tidy bow. No cliffhangers, no evil yet to be vanquished. If someone's scribbling sequel ideas, they're starting entirely from scratch.
Wilson herself has actually thought about this, especially the bit that everyone fixates on — Matilda's bloody powers. People love the idea of Matilda's daughter carrying on the tradition, but she's not convinced that makes sense, and she's not shy about why.
"One thing that people always say is, 'Oh, maybe it could be Matilda's daughter', and I have some issues with that, because I think Matilda's powers come from her adversity... They come from the bad things she went through, and the whole point is that she overcame these things. And she found power in educating herself and in making friends with these people who were really lovely."
Basically, as she points out, when Matilda's finally taken in by Miss Honey and nicks off her ghastly parents, her powers fade away. They only ever cropped up because her life was horrific, not because she's got superhero DNA. Wilson's stance is pretty clear: she won't do a sequel that tramples all over the point of the original.
Still Only Talk
No one's confirmed an actual film's in development, and let's face it — her reluctance to sign off on a dodgy script makes that harder. Danny DeVito (who brought off one of his best roles as Mr Wormwood and directed the original) has always called Matilda a career highlight, so if things moved forward at all, you'd expect him to be keen to join. Whether the rest of the cast want to relive the '90s wigs and tracksuits is another issue entirely.
At this point, the only new ingredient is Wilson showing some genuine interest. She's barely acted in years, so that alone has got fans talking about Matilda in a way they haven't since, well, she was still tipping cars with her mind.