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| Austin Powers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Jay Roach |
| Written by | |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Music by | George S. Clinton |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures (New Line Cinema) |
Running time | 286 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $112.5 million |
| Box office | $676.3 million |
Austin Powers is a series of Americansatiricalspycomedy films created byMike Myers, who stars as the British spyAustin Powers as well as his arch-nemesis,Dr. Evil. The series consists ofInternational Man of Mystery (1997),The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) andGoldmember (2002), all of which were directed byJay Roach, and co-produced and released byNew Line Cinema.
The series is a satire of numerous films and characters, particularly theJames Bond series andJason King, and incorporates many other elements ofpopular culture as it follows a British spy's quest to bring down his nemesis. The character of Powers represents an archetype of 1960sSwinging London, with his advocacy offree love, his use of obscure impressions, and his clothing style. The films also poke fun at the outrageous plots, rampantsexual innuendo, and one-dimensionalstock characters associated with 1960sspy films.
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Myers himself has stated in interviews that the idea forAustin Powers came to him one night while driving home fromice hockey practice. Hearing the song "The Look of Love" byBurt Bacharach on his car radio, he wondered "Where have all the swingers gone?" and conceived the character who would become Austin Powers.[1]
In an interview in November 2018 withAccess Hollywood, Myers stated, "After my dad died in 1991, I was taking stock of his influence on me as a person and his influence on me with comedy in general. So Austin Powers was a tribute to my father, who [introduced me to]James Bond,Peter Sellers,The Beatles,The Goodies,Peter Cook andDudley Moore."[2]
The Austin Powers character first appeared in the bandMing Tea, with Myers as Powers,Susanna Hoffs as Jillian Shagwell, andMatthew Sweet as Sid Belvedere. Myers' wife Robin Ruzan said Myers should write a movie based on Powers.[3]
The first phrase he thought the character might say was "Do I make youhorny?", which later did indeed become acatchphrase for the character. He has also disclosed that the character also draws on his recollections of formerRadio Caroline DJSimon Dee, who hosted the first real televisionchat show in the United Kingdom in 1967, which ended with his driving off in a sports car with a young blonde in the passenger seat. An important inspiration for the series is British super spyJames Bond. Myers said of Bond, "I can't even tell you how huge it was in our house ... That's really why I wanted to do Austin Powers. Austin Powers is out of pure love for James Bond."[4]
Though Myers isCanadian by birth, his parents are natives ofLiverpool, England, and Myers holdsdual nationality. Although the films parody the plots and characters of 1960s spy movies and theSwinging London fashion scene of the era, the humour is influenced by Myers's British heritage, particularly theCarry On films and the comedic works ofBenny Hill andPeter Sellers, the latter of whom Myers is a self confessed fan (his favorite films being the Bond spoofCasino Royale andThe Party).[5]
Austin Powers is everything I watched (on TV in the late sixties). My parents were from Liverpool, and there's no one more English than an Englishman who no longer lives there. Every molecule of British culture that came across the Atlantic was tasted and worshipped.
— Mike Myers[5]
Powers' bad teeth were created by Los Angeles dental technician Gary Archer. Myers came to Archer and told him, "I want bad British 1960s teeth", based on a widely held stereotype. Archer took pictures ofexpat patrons at an English pub that he frequented in theSan Fernando Valley, made sketches, and showed Myers the design. Myers told him that he had "nailed it".[6]
Influences from Sellers' films are apparent throughout the series; the character of Austin Powers reflects the inspiration of Sellers' portrayal of the character Robert Danvers in the 1970 filmThere's a Girl in My Soup. Myers states Powers' dandyish appearance was also inspired by that ofJason King – the adventurous character (played byPeter Wyngarde) from theITVSpy fi seriesDepartment S who was featured in the eponymous spin off series.[7] Myers was also influenced by the comedy troupeMonty Python, with film criticRobbie Collin writing "theAustin Powers series chugs along on Pythonisms."[8]
Other obviously apparent influences are theBBC'sAdam Adamant Lives! television series, whose protagonist was aVictorian era spy, who was frozen in 1902, and then revived in the year 1966; The 1965 James Bond parodyDr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, in which a mad scientist builds a small army of attractive female robots; theMatt Helm series of films starringDean Martin; theDerek Flint movies starringJames Coburn;The Beatles films,The Monkees television series, and the "cocktail party" skits fromRowan & Martin's Laugh-In. Powers was also influenced by the secret agentHarry Palmer (played byMichael Caine in three films, beginning with the 1965 filmThe Ipcress File), especially Caine's thickhorn-rimmed glasses.[9] Caine himself starred inAustin Powers in Goldmember (2002), with his portrayal of Nigel Powers, father of Austin Powers, spoofing Harry Palmer.[9]
| Credit | Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery | Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me | Austin Powers in Goldmember |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 1999 | 2002 | |
| Director | Jay Roach | ||
| Producers | Mike Myers,Demi Moore,Jennifer Todd &Suzanne Todd | Mike Myers, Demi Moore, Eric McLeod, Jennifer Todd, John S. Lyons & Suzanne Todd | |
| Writers | Mike Myers | Mike Myers &Michael McCullers | |
| Composer | George S. Clinton | ||
| Cinematographer | Peter Deming | Ueli Steiger | Peter Deming |
| Editors | Dawn Hoggatt & Debra Neil-Fisher | Jon Poll & Debra Neil-Fisher | Jon Poll & Greg Hayden |
| Production company | Eric's Boy Moving Pictures Capella International | Eric's Boy Team Todd Moving Pictures | Team Todd Moving Pictures Gratitude International |
| Distributor | New Line Cinema | ||
The series featured two cars with license plates reading "SWINGER" and "SWINGER2" and collectively dubbed the "Shaguars" that were portrayed by a 1961Jaguar E-Type and a 2001Jaguar XK8 convertible, with aUnion Jackpaint scheme. The Ministry of Defence creates two cars to transport Powers through time: apsychedelic rainbow painted 1999Volkswagen "New Beetle" convertible in the second film, and a purple 1975Cadillac Eldorado Fleetwood "pimpmobile" (license plate "SWNGR 3") in the third.
In the second film, Felicity Shagwell drives a 1965Chevrolet Corvette with anAmerican flagpaint scheme. In the third, Nigel Powers has a 2001Mini Cooper which can travel underwater, and which bears the license plate "GR8 SHAG".
| Film | Release date | Box office revenue | Box office ranking | Budget | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Foreign | Worldwide | All time domestic | All time worldwide | ||||
| Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery | May 2, 1997 | $53,883,989 | $13,800,000 | $67,683,989 | #1,171 | $16.5–18 million | [10][11] | |
| Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me | June 11, 1999 | $206,040,086 | $105,976,772 | $312,016,858 | #119 and #152[a] | #257 | $33 million | [12] |
| Austin Powers in Goldmember | July 26, 2002 | $213,307,889 | $83,347,542 | $296,655,431 | #110 and #188[a] | #283 | $63 million | [13] |
| Total | $473,231,964 | $203,124,314 | $676,356,278 | $112.5 million | [14] | |||
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore[15] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery | 73% (70 reviews)[16] | 51 (25 reviews)[17] | B- |
| Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me | 53% (90 reviews)[18] | 59 (34 reviews)[19] | B+ |
| Austin Powers in Goldmember | 52% (186 reviews)[20] | 62 (34 reviews)[21] | B+ |
The series consists of three films:
HBO purchased the rights to produce an animated series based on theAustin Powers films in May 1999. Despite announcing plans for a thirteen-episode season, HBO ultimately shelved the project.[23][24][25]The Simpsons writerDonick Cary originally left that show after writing the first draft of the first segment of theeleventh season episode "Treehouse of Horror X" to work on theAustin Powers cartoon.[26]
In October 2005, in an interview withEntertainment Weekly, Mike Myers discussed the possibility of studio sources moving forward with a fourth film: "There is hope! We're all circling and talking to each other. I miss doing the characters."[27]
In May 2007, in an interview withIGN, "So no moreAustin Powers?" was asked, and Myers replied, "No, no, there is a fully conceived idea for a fourth and I can just say that it's from Dr. Evil's point of view. So if you balanced how much of it was Austin with Dr. Evil, it's more about Dr. Evil than Austin".[28] In the audio commentary from the DVD release ofAustin Powers in Goldmember, Myers revealed that in the fourth film,Fat Bastard would return and regain the weight that he lost inGoldmember.[29]
In May 2007, at theShrek the Third premiere, Mike Myers announced that a fourthAustin Powers film was planned, but that it would focus more onDr. Evil rather thanAustin. He also said that he would start work on it after he started work onThe Love Guru, which became abox office bomb.[30] In February 2008, it was announced thatJay Roach would return as director. In April 2008, it was reported thatGisele Bündchen had been offered a role in the film.[31]
However,Seth Green, who played Scott Evil, stated that there was no script at the moment and thatAustin Powers 4 would be made if a script is written and approved.[32] In June 2008, in an interview, when asked about anotherAustin Powers film, Myers stated, "I have an idea, and again it's one of those things that will emerge or it won't."[33] In July 2008, Mike Myers stated that he had begun writingAustin Powers 4, and that the plot is "really about Dr. Evil and his son."[34]
In March 2010,Jay Roach indicated toMTV that Myers is working on ideas for a fourth film.[35][36] In August 2011, Mike Myers revealed he would return, and had begun writing a script for a fourth installment.[37] In September 2013, when asked about the future ofAustin Powers, Myers answered "I'm still figuring that out."[38] In September 2015,Verne Troyer expressed his desire to return asMini-Me if he was asked to do so.[39]
In May 2016, Roach was asked about the fourthAustin Powers film during an interview withLarry King, and he stated the ideas for the fourth film that he and Myers have are good and interesting.[40] In August 2016, in a telephone interview, Mike Myers stated "Everything is being negotiated and worked out and all that stuff" regarding the fourth installment of theAustin Powers film series.[41]
In April 2017, as the 20th anniversary approached forAustin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Mike Myers claimed, "I would love to do another, but you just have to see".[42] Two days later, Roach stated that a fourth film would only occur if Myers creates a good story for it.[43] In May 2017, Troyer stated that Mini-Me would reveal that he can speak in the fourth movie.[44] On April 5, 2018, Myers reprised his role as Dr. Evil on a segment ofThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon complaining about having beendismissed from a Cabinet post in theTrump administration, raising speculation that a fourth film was in development.[45] Following the death of Verne Troyer on April 21, 2018, questions have been raised about the potential for a fourth film without the character of Mini-Me, or with the part recast.[46] Roach claimed in an interview that a fourthAustin Powers film may not be possible without Troyer.[47]
In May 2018, Myers reiterated his interest in making a fourthAustin Powers, stating that it would be fun, also hinting that some tribute to Troyer might be included.[48] In November 2018, Myers stated that the project's future is "looking good" with the script already written and that Austin Powers and Dr. Evil will return soon, citing his parenthood as the reason for how long the delays in development in the film have lasted and that Roach will most likely reprise his directorial duties.[49]
In January 2020,Jay Roach again indicated that he was interested in doing a fourth film.[50] In February 2022, Myers toldThe Today Show he "would love to do" a fourthAustin Powers movie but could "neither confirm nor deny" whether it would be made.[51]
In October 2022, Mike Myers stated on theTonight Show that he would "love" to make anotherAustin Powers film, again citing parenting as the main reason as to why the film has not yet been made.[52]
In December 2024, Mike Myers said in an interview that a fourth film in theAustin Powers franchise would more likely than not be happening sometime very soon.[53]
TheAustin Powers films have attracted controversy for their adult content while receiving the less-restricted PG-13-rating in the United States, prior to critics' protests against theMPAA's ratings in 2010.[54] Nell Minow ofCommon Sense Media expressed concern about the films exposing minors toexplicit sexual content.[55] InMalaysia, the films were regarded to be almostpornographic;The Spy Who Shagged Me was banned from being screened[56] whileGoldmember was released with the18SX-rating.
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