‘Not Looking Very Good’: Napoleon Dynamite Stars Share Character Updates 20 Years Later

Ayush June 15, 2024

Two decades after the release of Napoleon Dynamite, fans can only imagine what the characters might be doing in 2024. Three stars of the hit comedy have offered their predictions on where their characters would be today.

Per People, a 20th anniversary screening for the film was held in Orlando, Florida, with attending actors Jon Heder (Napoleon), Efren Ramirez (Pedro Sánchez), and Jon Gries (Uncle Rico). The actors shared predictions about the future of the characters they played in the film, though Heder guesses that it’s not exactly going well. Gries also commented on the change he’d want to see in a potential sequel, if Napoleon Dynamite 2 ever gets made.

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“I think it’s not looking very good for most of them,” Heder said. “Napoleon is probably paying child support to two different moms, with two different kids … maybe Trisha was a fling. Like, ‘Let’s give it a go … no, I was right the first time.”

Heder added, “It didn’t work out with Deb (Tina Majorino), but he really wants to make it work with Deb so he’s like, ‘I’ve gotta get some political sway to pull some cool favors.’ So he goes to his best friend, who’s in some high places.”

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Ramirez feels more optimistic about things working out well for Pedro. He imagines that the character has since married his crush, Summer Wheatly (Haylie Duff), and now operates a bakery. With that said, Ramirez also feels like Pedro has politics in his blood and would again be running for office.

“[Pedro and Summer] would have like, five kids. Maybe even twins! But I would also say he’d be running for city councilman,” Ramirez said, paraphrasing some Pedro quotes. “And he’d want to make everyone’s wildest dreams come true… But not only that — he’d probably have a law firm, Sánchez and Sánchez, along with Summer, and they’re working together as a team. And they’ll say, ‘I’ll build you a case or something.’ ”

As for Uncle Rico, Gries believes that the character would have embraced YouTube, leading to the launch of a backyard wrestling organization. That would probably come with some legal trouble, which could conveniently play into Rico seeking help from Pedro’s law firm.

“He started his own YouTube channel, Backyard Teenage Wrestling,” Gries said. “He’s [had] some subpoenas, ’cause kids have broken arms and broken ankles from jumping off of roofs onto tables and things. But he has a good plan. Anyway, he might go to Sánchez and Sánchez, to get him out of trouble.”

Will There Be a Napoleon Dynamite Sequel?

On what would be a good idea for Napoleon Dynamite 2, Gries continued, “We do feel like this film would be shot, yes, in real time, 20 years later — maybe in winter, so that we could kind of show that life sometimes isn’t always sunny and summery and sweet and blue skies.”

“The film took place in their youth, when there’s charm and there’s no responsibility,” Heder also noted. “But now that they’re adults and they’ve got weights on them … Napoleon has braces.”

While a sequel was never made, the franchise did expand in another medium. In 2012, an animated series adaptation debuted on Fox, complete with the same actors reprising their roles. The series was set in the same time period as the film, though the switch to animation allowed for more visual gags and slapstick humor. Fox canceled the series after six episodes.

Napoleon Dynamite is streaming on Hulu.

Source: People