Disney+ in talks to ‘bring back hit show for a second series’ despite critics branding show a flop
Disney+ is reportedly reviving the reboot of The Full Monty for a second series, despite scathing reviews from critics.
The streaming service is said to be in discussions about making a second series of the TV series, after the first season aired earlier this year, 25 years after the original film.
A source said The sun column from the newspaper TV Biz: 'It appears that Disney+ is considering the green light for a second series of The Full Monty.'
Robert Carlyle played the leader of a group of Chippendale wannabes desperate for cash after falling on hard times following the closure of steel mills in Yorkshire in the 1997 British comedy film.
And several members of the original cast reunited for the eight-episode limited series that aired on Disney+ in June, including Robert Carlyle as Gaz, Mark Addy as Dave, Lesley Sharp as Jean, Hugo Speer as Guy, Paul Barber as Horse, Steve Huison as Lomper, Wim Sneep as Nathan and Tom Wilkinson as Gerald.
Disney+ is reportedly reviving the reboot of The Full Monty for a second series despite scathing reviews from critics, The Sun reports
The original cast of The Full Monty returned for the new television series (pictured L-R: Steve Huison as Lomper; Mark Addy as Dave; Robert Carlyle as Gaz; Hugo Speer as Guy; and Paul Barber as Horse), which aired in June broadcast.
Disney chiefs are believed to be considering “a few tweaks” to improve the series ahead of a possible second season.
The source added: 'There are conversations going on about whether it will make it, but everyone felt there was so much promise behind revisiting the story and that a few tweaks could make a second series better.
“There are discussions going on, with some influential people behind the scenes doing their best to make this happen.”
Simon Beaufoy, who wrote the film, joined forces with Alice Nutter – who was part of the music group Chumbawamba – to write the eight-part TV series, and the pair are said to be set for a second series.
He recently told the Sheffield Star newspaper: 'We would be up for a new series, as would the cast, so it's up to the mysterious powers of Disney+.
“Disney+ were really good partners and we really enjoyed working with them.
“They were really supportive of everything we were trying to do, so it would be hard to do it with anyone else.”
Peter Cattaneo's 1997 comedy caused a sensation at the time and won an Oscar for best original musical or comedy.
Disney chiefs are believed to be considering “a few tweaks” to improve the series ahead of a possible second season
The source added: 'There are conversations going on about whether it will make it, but everyone felt there was so much promise behind revisiting the story and that a few tweaks could make a second series better
But despite the expectations surrounding the series, it did not receive good reviews from critics.
The guard described it as “boring and poorly written” with “endlessly annoying characters and a distinct lack of comics.”
In the meantime The Evening Standard wrote that it lacked “that flash of magic” of the original and Times magazine described it as a 'muddled tribute'.
Still, not all reviews were completely negative, such as The Hollywood Reporter managed to 'retain much of the modest charm of its predecessor'.
The male striptease was the film's spicy highlight, and in June the stars discussed whether it would be remade for the series.
“Nobody wants to see that, let's be honest,” 62-year-old Robert chuckled. 'But it will be discussed in the last episode. There's a lovely moment when all the boys are together and You Can Leave Your Hat On starts playing.
“Honestly, it was a very emotional moment for all of us because that song is synonymous with the movie and it immediately took us back to that moment. And the great thing was that after the scene the whole crew started clapping. Everyone smiled. I hope it has the same effect on the audience emotionally.”
Robert, who has since been a busy leading man in TV hits such as Once Upon A Time and Cobra, was easily persuaded to reprise his role.
“It's not a reboot,” he emphasized via Zoom from his home in Vancouver. “It would be insane to try to remake the movie; he was so loved.
“I knew Simon had been asked to do a Full Monty 2 movie, but he and I were never interested in that because the ending of that movie is so triumphant.”