Inbetweeners fans have started predicting storylines for the upcoming third film, which was announced by Netflix on Monday.
Following the exciting revelation that production had begun on the highly anticipated return, fans swarmed social media with hypotheses about the characters played by Simon Vogel, James BuckleyBlake Harrison and Joe Thomas.
While some mused about the future of nerd Will McKenzie, lying Jay Cartwright, dorky Neil Sutherland and serious Simon Cooper in the third film, they also expressed fears that the risqué comedy would become “watered down and politically correct.”
The news follows months of speculation about the revival of the sitcom, which originally aired Channel 4 between 2008 and 2010 before the release of two films in 2011 and 2014 and a reunion in 2019.
At the heart of the speculation was the prospect of the return of Emily Atack‘s character Charlotte “Big Jugs” Hinchcliffe, after it was rumored that she postponed the reunion due to a long-standing feud with James.
Emily, 36, whose star has risen in recent years thanks to her role in Rivals, is said to have refused to return after being unceremoniously axed from The Inbetweeners reunion seven years ago following a ‘previous affair’ with James.
Inbetweeners fans have started predicting storylines for the upcoming third film, which was announced by Netflix on Monday
At the heart of the speculation was the prospect of the return of Emily Atack’s character Charlotte ‘Big Jugs’ Hinchcliffe, after it was rumored that she postponed the reunion due to a long-standing feud with James.
Fans came in with theories about what the storyline will be
After a joyful reaction to the news of the third film, fans quickly began predicting the storylines – with a number of prospects for the characters.
One fan kicked off the speculation, writing: ‘Inbetweeners 3 predictions: Jay is awake, Neil is stock/crypto rich, Simon is back with Tara. The movie is Will’s bachelor party and his fiancée is Charlotte or just someone too suitable for him, so that’s a joke the whole movie made.”
Another list read: “Predictions: Simon is getting married, but Tara is back on the scene and he has turned his head. Deer’s antics see Neil (who is in recovery) in trouble…
“Will is financing the trip with the bonus from his job with the city. Jay lives from hand to mouth and is a great stay-at-home dad to five children.”
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‘He gets a plus and takes Simon with him, but Jay and Neil come with him. Then the movie turns into a hangover and it’s revealed that Charlotte is going to marry Donovan.
Meanwhile, a slew of fans expressed concerns that the show, which uses ableist language, sexist comments and more, would become “woke” and politically correct.
Other fans were concerned about the comedy being “watered down.”
The Netflix announcement saw the group squeezed into Simon’s famous yellow car
Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, James Buckley and Blake Harrison (L-R) are depicted in the first 2011 film
Emily, 36, whose star has risen in recent years thanks to her role in Rivals, is said to have refused to return after being banned from The Inbetweeners reunion seven years ago following a ‘previous affair’ with James (Emily pictured in Rivals)
Users wrote: ‘I’d like to think that the cast wouldn’t have agreed to this if it was toned down, but let’s see… I can’t wait for this, but I’m afraid they’ll tone it down so as not to offend the woke brigade…
‘It’s going to be terrible mate, they don’t want to offend anyone. This is the world we live in. Full of absolute snowflakes.’
Despite the excitement about the return, it has been reported that streaming bosses are unhappy with the return of just the main men as they want Emily on board.
Her feud with James is at the heart of the problem, after he allegedly blocked her from The Inbetweeners Fwends Reunited 10th anniversary show in 2019.
According to reports at the time, James was afraid his wife, Clair Meek, would find out about the brief relationship they had on the show from 2008 to 2010.
It was claimed James warned bosses ‘it’s her or me’ after the reported affair, which happened when they were both single.
The Inbetweeners Fwends Reunited 10th anniversary show in 2019 was rejected by fans and reportedly led to Emily’s refusal to appear due to tensions with James (second from right)
According to reports at the time, James was afraid his wife, Clair Meek, would find out about the brief relationship they had on the show from 2008 to 2010 (James and Clair pictured)
A source said at the time: ‘Emily received a call from producers 24 hours before she was due to appear on set. They were deeply embarrassed and apologized…
‘They had to explain that James had asked for her to be taken off the show. The kissing meant nothing to Emily and has never been a problem for her.
‘She was very surprised when she was told she wasn’t needed and was genuinely upset. Emily thought everything was fine and was looking forward to being with the boys again.”
When asked about the punch, she said, “Unfortunately, I don’t really know what happened there. I was booked to do it, was really looking forward to doing it and the day before I was told I was no longer required to do it…
“It’s okay, these things just happen, and I think they just decided to take a different route with it, I don’t know. Or it had to do with production times and such…
“These things happen and they just take a different route, I think, and I wish them all the best and I know it’s going to be great and the fans won’t be disappointed.”
Despite the excitement about the return, it’s been reported that streaming bosses aren’t content with the return of just the main men – they also want Emily Atack, 36, to reprise her role as Charlotte ‘Big Jugs’ Hinchcliffe.
Sources said: “The show’s makers have written the script and are ready to go, but Emily is one of the missing pieces in the project they are keen to make happen.
‘Fans will already be happy to see the four leads returning, as there were concerns that a reboot would see new, younger actors portraying the roles of the boys, who would all be teenagers in the show.
‘But it’s fair to say that getting Emily back would be the icing on the Inbetweeners cake.’
Emily has been asked several times in the past about a possible return of Inbetweeners and recently told Capital FM: ‘I don’t know. We would all be a lot older now.
‘The funny thing was that when we filmed the series, I was only seventeen. I had just left school, but the boys were well into… I think they were in their late 20s, early 30s.”
