After Decades of Rumors, ‘Austin Powers 4’ Is in Development

Few comedy franchises have stuck around in pop culture like ‘Austin Powers’. Two decades after the last film, fans are still quoting Dr. Evil’s pinky-to-the-lip schemes. Mike Myers’s spy spoof series has grossed more than $500 million across ‘International Man of Mystery’, ‘The Spy Who Shagged Me’ and ‘Goldmember’, and talk of a fourth film has never really gone away.

That talk got much louder this summer. When a fan asked about another sequel during Trevor Noah’s World Cup Watch Party in June, Myers answered with a simple “yes.” The timing lined up with Dr. Evil’s return in a Verizon ad, where the villain launched a scheming phone company called Menace Mobile, with Seth Green, Mindy Sterling and Rob Lowe back in their old roles.

Myers has now shared his clearest look yet at where the franchise is headed. Appearing on the ‘Hollywood Insiders With Hawk Koch’ podcast, he confirmed that he’s writing the new script and that the story is leaning heavily toward the franchise’s bald, scene-stealing villain.

“It’s more from Dr. Evil’s point of view so far,” Myers said on the podcast, adding that he finds the character a lot of fun to play. The words “so far” suggest the script is still a work in progress, so the final shape of the film could still change.

Myers also explained why the shift makes sense. According to him, the fans he meets are split almost evenly, with roughly half preferring Austin and the other half preferring Dr. Evil. The comedian also shared an early piece of studio feedback that clearly stuck with him. After a screening of the first film, he was told to cut back on Dr. Evil because audiences supposedly didn’t like how mean he was to Austin.

Mike Myers says Austin Powers 4 leans into Dr. Evil: "It’s more from Dr. Evil’s point of view so far." Audiences split 50-50 between Evil and Austin, and he trusted the laughs over the studio note that wanted less Evil. Via: Hollywood Insiders #AustinPowers #DrEvil https://t.co/3B0TNsQ88g
— Talent Agency Guide (@agency_guide) October 29, 2026

Myers disagreed, pointing out that the character was getting big laughs. He added that he never saw the franchise as a straightforward good guys versus bad guys story, which helps explain why a villain-led sequel feels natural to him.

Looking back, it’s hard to argue with that instinct. ‘The Spy Who Shagged Me’ gave Dr. Evil even more screen time, pairing him with his son Scott, played by Seth Green, and his miniature clone, Mini-Me, played by Verne Troyer.

A Dr. Evil-focused sequel isn’t a new idea. Myers has floated a movie told from the villain’s perspective in past interviews, but until recently he had never been this definitive about the project moving forward.

Beyoncé and Mike Myers in Austin Powers in Goldmember was a hilarious duo https://t.co/KOcqjwV07y
— Strong Black Lead (@strongblacklead) October 21, 2025

Longtime franchise director Jay Roach has also left the door open. Speaking in 2020, he said another installment would depend on Myers finding something he was inspired by, and that he’d be up for whatever Myers wanted to do.

There may also be some built-in comedy in the timing. ComicBook.com pointed out that a release next year would land 30 years after the original, which could become a running joke, since the first film’s premise was a swinging ’60s spy thawed out in the ’90s.

The update comes during a busy stretch for Myers. Beyond the ‘Austin Powers’ revival, a new ‘Shrek’ movie is reportedly in the works, and he recently made headlines guest-starring on ‘SNL’ as Elon Musk.

There’s no release date, director, or cast list for ‘Austin Powers 4’ yet. Still, hearing Myers talk about actively writing the script is the most encouraging sign fans have had in years that the franchise is truly coming back.