A satirical superhero adventure featuring figures whose powers would relegate themselves to the Z-list of a franchise’s roster featuring top-tier comedic talent seems like a surefire hit in 2023, but back in 1999 when comic books weren’t the dominating cultural force they are today, a project like Mystery Men failed to make a significant impact at the box office, which is why star Hank Azaria highly doubts there could ever be a followup. Even if a sequel doesn’t seem to be in the cards, Azaria isn’t far from his character of The Blue Raja, whose voice he channels when responding to the idea of a sequel in the above video. Azaria can next be seen in Apple TV+’s Hello Tomorrow!, which premieres on February 17th.
Videos by ComicBook.com
When asked about a return of The Blue Raja by ComicBook.com, Azaria slipped right back into the role to answer, “I don’t think so, my friend. We already tried that, we failed rather miserably, really. We have a cult following, folks like yourself seem to enjoy it. But the box office at the time didn’t agree, so usually Hollywood doesn’t [give you] a second bite at that apple, do they?”
Azaria was joined in the film by Ben Stiller, William H. Macy, Paul Reubens, Janeane Garofalo, and Kel Mitchell. Greg Kinnear and Geoffrey Rush starred as the impressive hero and criminal mastermind, respectively. Set in Champion City, the film followed a group of burgeoning superheroes whose abilities were less than impressive. When Captain Amazing (Kinnear) goes missing, Mr. Furious (Stiller), The Shoveler (Macy), and The Blue Raja (Azaria) attempt to recruit more Z-list heroes to help them rescue Amazing from the clutches of Casanova Frankenstein (Rush).
Last year, however, costar Ben Stiller had a bit more of a promising reaction to the idea.
“That’s the first I’m hearing of it, but sure. I’m all for it. I had fun doing it,” Stiller shared with ComicBook.com when asked about the film’s growing popularity possibly earning it a new adventure. “Yeah, it would be a blast. It was a really, really fun cast. And there’s still some rage and fury inside me somewhere, I think.” ย
As we wait for possible updates, audiences can see Azaria in Hello Tomorrow!.
Set in a retro-future world, Hello Tomorrow!ย centers around a group of traveling salesmen hawking lunar timeshares. Emmy and Critics Choice Award winner Billy Crudup (The Morning Show) stars as Jack, a salesman of great talent and ambition, whose unshakeable faith in a brighter tomorrow inspires his coworkers, revitalizes his desperate customers, but threatens to leave him dangerously lost in the very dream that sustains him.
The ensemble cast starring alongside Crudup includes Haneefah Wood (Truth Be Told, One Day at a Time), Alison Pill (Them, The Newsroom), Nicholas Podany (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Dewshane Williams (The Umbrella Academy, In the Dark), Emmy Award winner Hank Azaria (Brockmire, Ray Donovan), Matthew Maher (Our Flag Means Death), and Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook, Animal Kingdom).
Apple TV+’sย Hello Tomorrow!ย premieres on February 17th. Stay tuned for possible updates on the future of Mystery Men.
Would you like to see the film get a sequel? Let us know in the comments!
