Five years after the original took the country by storm, Hollywood has announced it is planning a sequel to The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
One of the most popular comedies of 2005, The 40-Year-Old Virgin grossed over $100 million during its domestic theatrical run and made a star out of its lead Steve Carell.
Many stumbling blocks faced the new production, delaying the start of the sequel. The main challenge was how to portray the title character. Carell, thanks to films such as Get Smart and Date Night, is now one of film’s biggest draws. Concerns were raised that it would be tough to lure him back to revising the role.
Instead, filmmakers opted to cast a complete unknown. After a nationwide search, they discovered their man -- Robert Bonilla. Bonilla, making his film debut, will take on the daunting task of playing the lead in the sequel tentatively titled: The 40-Year-Old Virgin II: He Sure Looks Like He’s a Virgin.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Also joining the cast are Irene Enriquez as the film’s love interest and comedian Senor Jerry as his sidekick. Talks are ongoing with Emilo Rivera (Sons of Anarchy) to play another of Bonilla’s pals.
A release date is still pending, but Stillberg hopes the sequel will be in theaters before Bonilla loses his Virgin look. “You can’t manufacture innocence like that,” continues Stillberg, “Not even with CGI. Just look at Avatar. You can’t tell me there’s a virgin in that.”
Robert on what he thought was his first motorcycle
And a note to anyone who has haphazardly come upon this post: I hope you’ve read to this point, because currently no sequel to The 40-Year-Old Virgin is in the works (Though there is a movie coming out titled The 41-Year-Old Virgin who Knocked up Sarah Marshall and Felt Bad About It), none of the above about is true. What is true is that my great friend Robert Bonilla is turning 40 today, and I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate this event than give him a starring role -- even it is a fictitious one.
And Robert, if there ever is a sequel to The 40-Year-Old Virgin, I’ll do what I can to see that you play the role.
Happy Birthday! We hope it’s a terrific one.
Exclusive photos from The 40-Year-Old Virgin II
auditions
“We had a script that we knew was surefire, but until we found Robert, we really didn’t think we’d pull this off,” says Speven Stillberg, who has has signed on as director. “I can honestly say I’ve never met anyone who I would believe more as a 40-year-old virgin than Robert.”
A Los Angeles native, Bonilla is currently the perfect age to portray a 40-year-old virgin. Though he has done little acting in his past, Bonilla has been known at times to pretend to be a golfer and both a second and third baseman. Also known for his daring moves on a Harley-Davidson, it has yet to be determined whether Bonilla will do his own motorcycle stunts in the film.
Robert reacts to the news that he’s won the role of The 40-Year-Old Virgin II
