Napoleon Dynamite 20 Years Later
Legacy, Interviews, Selfies, and Could there ever be a sequel?
As part of my Sundance 2024 coverage, I jumped at the chance to interview the cast and crew of one of my all-time favorite comedies, Napoleon Dynamite. I know that some folks hate it, which I kind of get, but there are far more that love it, and I’m among them. To me, it’s a perfect blend of quirky, goofy, and outright odd humor that aligns with my own and I love the film from top to bottom.
Napoleon Dynamite premiered at Sundance in 2004, where director Jared Hess and his co-writer and sister, Jerusha Hess, were in attendance, along with the main cast, to share this indie comedy with the masses. A bidding war erupted just after the screening, eventually going to Fox Searchlight. The rest is history.
The film earned $46 million worldwide with a budget of $200,000 that got them through a 22-day shoot. That’s one hell of a return on investment and one of the reasons that Sundance continues to be a place for studios to shop for new content. The film spawned an animated series that only lasted 6 episodes, but the legacy of the characters has lived on from generation to generation.
Talking to Jon Heder (Napoleon), Efren Ramirez (Pedro), Emily Kennard Dunn (Trisha), as well as producers Sean Covel & Chris Wyatt, and writer Jerusha Hess, I led with the question of what they would tell themselves if they could time travel back to the end of the film’s premiere in 2004, knowing what they know now about the legacy of the film. The answers were surprising, and of course, I had to know if there was any hope for a sequel, even if some would rather it remain a standalone effort.
Check out the full interviews below and make sure to check out my Sundance reviews (with more on the way). As always, thank you for your support. Please be sure to subscribe, be it free or paid, as it helps keep the lights on either way. Gosh!
