Josh Lucas Has a Surprising Update on a Potential Sweet Home Alabama Sequel

Reese Witherspoon Explains How She Picks Her Projects

Are we going to finally see what Melanie Carmichael is up to in Alabama, all these years later?

Maybe, if Josh Lucas has anything to say about it. The Sweet Home Alabama star addressed the film possibly getting a sequel with SiriusXM’s Pop Culture Spotlight with Jessica Shaw. Nearly 20 years have passed since the beloved rom-com, also starring Reese Witherspoon, came to life.

“Look, I would love to do the sequel,” he revealed, and then jokingly added, “The issue is Reese’s got a book club.”

He said that discussions with Witherspoon about a potential sequel have been met with, “‘Oh, you can talk to her about stuff five years from now.'”

Lucas understands that the A-lister is busy, and he predicted her success back at the start of the 2000s.

“You know, she’s a mogul,” he complimented his former co-star. “And back when I was doing Sweet Home Alabama, I, for some reason, remember telling the director or somebody speaking about her, but I said, ‘I bet this woman ends up running a movie studio one day.'”

Lucas knew Witherspoon had talent beyond playing roles on-screen. Witherspoon co-founded Hello Sunshine in 2016, which has gone on to produce mega-hits such as Wild, Gone Girl, Big Little Lies, The Morning Show and Little Fires Everywhere.

Waytao Shing/Getty Images for SXSW

“She’s even beyond that at this point,” he said. “I mean, you know, she’s, she’s her own version of Oprah Winfrey now, right? I mean, she’s, she’s as, and it’s extraordinary and not surprising either, at all.”

“Reese, come on, let’s go do it,” he jokingly pleaded.

Sweet Home Alabama also starred Patrick Dempsey, Candice Bergen, Fred Ward and Ethan Embry. Dakota Fanning appeared in the film as Young Melanie.

As for where his character, Jake Perry, would be two decades later? 

In 2019, Lucas told Good Morning America that he had discussed the sequel’s plot with the original’s director and writer, Andy Tennant. Their idea would have Jake and Melanie separated yet again. This time, they’d have kids, and Melanie would be back in New York and Jake would still be in Alabama.

“The whole life is super complicated,” Lucas said. “Patrick Dempsey’s character [Andrew Hennings] is still in the picture. But that’s just a proposal.”

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