Mike Myers and New Line close to agreement for Austin Powers 4

13-Aug-2011 • Media Alert

New Line Cinema and Mike Myers are reportedly close to a deal that would bring the comedian's spy spoof Austin Powers back for a fourth installment.

Movie blog HitFlix claimed that the deal was sealed yesterday, but trade press and sources from within the production said the final details had yet to be worked out (HitFlix jumped the gun), although all signs were pointing to an agreement soon. Negotiations were said to have been taking place for over a year.

The Austin Powers series has been a tremendous success at the box-office. The first film, "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery", clocked up $67.6m from just a $16.5m budget in 1997. The 1999 sequel, "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me," brought in an astonishing $312, from a $33m budget, before the third outing "Austin Powers in Goldmember" tapered off slightly with $296m from a $63m budget in 2002. "Goldmember" opened 5 months ahead of Pierce Brosnan's swansong as 007 in "Die Another Day".

The success of Austin Powers, which lampooned the classic James Bond films, was partly responsible for the lack of gadgets and one-liners in the Daniel Craig era so far.

If the fourth film is green-lit, it is expected to be released sometime in 2013.