Robin Williams’ Mrs. Doubtfire is one of the most iconic family-comedy features ever. The 1993 film was a massive hit amongst critics and audiences. According to director Chris Columbus, he also planned the sequel to the 1993 classic, and the late Williams even agreed to return to it. However, Columbus soon dropped the idea of the sequel after Williams tragically passed away in 2014.
Over the years, Hollywood has seen several director-actor duos who get attached after working on a project. Mrs. Doubtfire was such a project for Chris Columbus and Robin Williams. The Harry Potter director revealed that they became close friends after the film and spent almost every weekend together having fun. He cannot even imagine a sequel without the late actor.
Chris Columbus can never even think about Mrs. Doubtfire 2
Mrs. Doubtfire was an incredible project for everyone working on the film. It focused on a divorced actor who took the guise of an elderly woman housekeeper to stay close to his children. The Robin Williams, Sally Field, and Pierce Brosnan film was a blockbuster earning $441.3 million against a small budget of $25 million (via Box Office Mojo).
Following the first film’s success, Chris Columbus also cracked an idea for a sequel to the classic. He also approached Robin Williams with the script in 2014 and the late actor agreed to do it. Unfortunately, it was a bit too late as the Dead Poets Society fame passed away the same year by committing suicide.
Speaking at SFGATE, Columbus revealed that it is “impossible” to make Mrs. Doubtfire 2 without the legend himself. He praised Williams by saying he was in a league of his own. There can never be another Robin Williams.
“It’s impossible. It’s just impossible. I just was reading a lot of reviews, ironically, today and about the Broadway show (which opened in New York this week). And this guy who’s playing him is supposedly very energetic and phenomenal. But he’s no Robin. Robin was one-of-a-kind.”
The Home Alone filmmaker met his friend and the legendary actor for the last time in 2014 when he approached him for Mrs. Doubtfire 2- “We had a script, and it was a great script. Robin was prepared to do it. And then, unfortunately, he passed away.”
Besides being a massive hit, Mrs. Doubtfire got an Academy Award for Best Makeup and a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture- Musical or Comedy. Robin Williams was also awarded a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture- Musical or Comedy.
Robin Williams improvised a lot while filming Mrs. Doubtfire
Robin Williams was one of the greatest actors in the industry. He has starred in some of the most critically acclaimed films. The Academy Award-winning actor also had a name for improvising a lot in his films. However, he did not hold any limit during the filming of Mrs. Doubtfire and often the late actor’s takes did not end before the films ran out.
In an interview with Business Insider, Chris Columbus confessed that he has 972 boxes of footage featuring Williams which equals “2 million feet of film”.
“It got to the point that I had to shoot the entire movie with four cameras to keep up with him. None of us knew what he was going to say when he got going and so I wanted a camera on the other actors to get their reactions.”
Chris Columbus added that everything that unfolded on the set of Mrs. Doubtfire deserves to get a documentary. He also stated that he eagerly wanted to make a documentary to show everyone how magical it felt to work with the Good Will Hunting star. Even the studio did not have any problem with the exhaustion of films as they “were loving what they were seeing”.
Columbus made it clear that Mrs. Doubtfire will never return with a sequel. He added that although “Fox/Disney owns the rights” and can do whatever they wish, he will always be against it. The director can never accept a sequel without Robin Williams.
Mrs. Doubtfire can be streamed on Disney+.
