Warning: SPOILERS lie ahead for Good Burger 2!
Summary
- Good Burger 2 is a long-awaited sequel that reunites Keenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell as Dex and Ed respectively, who must save their restaurant from being shut down by a corporation.
- The ensemble cast of Good Burger 2 includes Kamaia Fairburn, Alex R. Hibbert, Fabrizio Guido, Emily and Elizabeth Kinkler, Anabel Graetz, Ego Nwodim, Lil Rel Howery, and Jillian Bell, with cameo appearances from Rob Gronkowski and Mark Cuban.
- Writers Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert and director Phil Traill discuss the challenges of making the sequel, staying true to the original while adding a modern twist, and the surprise twist of the villain being Kurt's sister.
After 26 years of waiting, Good Burger 2 has finally arrived. A sequel to the feature-length adaptation of the All That sketch, the movie sees Keenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell reuniting as Dex moves in with Ed after a failed business venture and goes back to working at the eponymous restaurant. After another business deal goes sour and puts Good Burger at risk of being shut down by a corporation, the duo must find a way to save their restaurant home before it's too late.
Alongside Thompson and Mitchell, the ensemble Good Burger 2 cast includes Kamaia Fairburn, Alex R. Hibbert, Fabrizio Guido, Emily and Elizabeth Kinkler, Anabel Graetz, Ego Nwodim, Lil Rel Howery and Jillian Bell. Packed full of cameos, including Rob Gronkowski and Mark Cuban, and the same goofy charm of its predecessor, the wait proves well worth it for fans of the original Good Burger.
In honor of the movie's release, Screen Rant interviewed writers Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert and director Phil Traill to discuss Good Burger 2, the long wait for the sequel, Kel Mitchell's continued physical comedy skills and the major villain reveal.
Kopelow, Seifert & Traill Talk Good Burger 2
Screen Rant: I am super stoked to get to talk about this movie. As a '90s kid, the original remains in my lexicon of rewatches, and Good Burger 2 lives up. Heath and Kevin, I wanted to come to you guys first, since you are the returning folks. This is something that's been long awaited, you guys have talked before about always wanting to do it. What would you say was the biggest challenge in making the sequel happen?
Heath Seifert: You know, honestly, I think it was a project that was near and dear to a lot of people's hearts, and I think we wanted to make sure we got it right. So, I think the real challenge for us was coming up with a story and script that would satisfy fans of the original, but also maybe tell a bigger story that was exciting for the next generation of fans, as well. I know everybody wanted to do it, it was really just a matter of when can everybody's schedules align?
Phil Traill: Also, they were really searching high and low for the right director, and it took them six years.
Kevin Kopelow: [Laughs] And there he is.
Phil Traill: Finally, they found him, which made it all happen.
I love that, and Phil, you do a great job of bringing these characters back to the screen in a way that feels both true to the original as well as a very modern take to it. What was it like really trying to work with Heath and Kevin here to stay true to the original while also bringing your own vision for this property?
Phil Traill: These two wrote an amazing script, and then obviously, from the original, we got a lot of the actors, including Kenan and Kel, coming back. So, it was like entering this lovely family, they welcomed me in with open arms, and it was really easy after that, it was just fun. It was great, because everyone's been looking forward to this project. But then for the script to be really good was like, "Okay, this is great, this is this is going to be just really fun." And there was no stress through the whole shoot, the atmosphere was just really, really [light], everyone was delighted to be part of it, which was great.
One thing I love about this movie, as a fan of the original, is that the big bad is technically the same big bad, only this time, the sister. I was surprised by that. I didn't see it anywhere in the marketing. How did that come about?
Heath Seifert: We definitely wanted it to be a surprise and a twist that I guess we're spoiling now for everybody watching this movie. [Chuckles]
We'll be sure to save this for after release!
Heath Seifert: But yeah, I think it was just one of the ideas we had, as we were breaking the story. Again, we wanted to have the evil bad guy, and at some point, it dawned on us that there should be a connection to the original film, and so we are happy that it came out well.
Phil Traill: You know, one of the things that these guys did was if you've watched the original movie, there's lots for you to discover in this new one, like, "Oh, that's Kurt's sister," and you'll put all the pieces together. But if you haven't seen the original, then it still works, right? She's just an evil villain baddie, so it works for both sides, which is kind of a hard thing to do. But they sort of pulled that off really well.
Heath Seifert: I think if you haven't seen the original, you're not going to be too confused by this film. I think you'll be able to follow what's happening just fine.
You guys do a great job of recapping it quick while also keeping true to those who have already seen it. Now, was there any talk about actually bringing Kurt back in for a cameo or whatnot? Because, obviously, you explain he's in jail, but was there ever a thought to actually have him come back?
Phil Traill: We have so many cameos for people coming back that it was a case of like, "How can we get people in?" We had incoming phone calls from Mark Cuban to Gronk to tons of random people who are a surprise for viewers. So, it was really hard to just fit the number of people who wanted to be in, wasn't it?
Heath Seifert: Yeah, I think that was part of the challenge was almost how to accommodate everybody that you would love to have in the film. Kurt was a really important part of the first film, and he was a great actor, and it would be great to have him back and, you know, maybe Good Burger 3.
Kevin Kopelow: In jail for 27 years just for what he did. [Laughs]
Phil Traill: With his sister, though, like a family reunion in jail. It's good.
They go for world dominance this time!
Phil Traill: Universal, maybe.
Heath Seifert: Colonizing on Mars.
That would be a lot of fun to see. Now, it's amazing that Kel remains just as much of a physical comedian now, as he was back then. He recently opened up about some of his own health concerns, and I'm curious what it's been like seeing him return and be just as game to get down and dirty for the role as well as knowing that it's 27 years later, and he's no longer than 20 something?
Kevin Kopelow: We had done a reboot of the original show, All That, and we brought him back and did some more sketches with him. It was like nothing changed. And the physical comedy, again, we thought, "Oh, wow, there's no limitations."
Heath Seifert: Yeah, this guy's in peak physical shape. He gets up at 4 a.m. to work out, and yeah, we just roll the cameras and let him go nuts, and just make sure you get the camera wide enough to catch all the acts.
Phil Traill: Yeah, he's a really good physical comedian, and really thought through, and really game for trying everything. So, there are a number of times we had a stunt double to do his stunts. There's a lot of stunts in the movie, a lot of big stunts, and we always had a stunt double there to do them, and he'd often say, "I think I can do this myself," and we're like, "Oh," and then he did it, and he did it right.
Kevin Kopelow: Not to mention the dancing.
Phil Traill: Oh yeah, flipping over the wall.
Kevin Kopelow: He was pretty multi-faceted.
You mentioned him improving his own physical beats and whatnot. Was there any one moment in particular that you recall really stood out to you of that improv?
Phil Traill: Well, actually, there were a lot of, you know, because they improvise in their characters a lot. But a lot of the stunts — you can't just improvise a stunt.
Heath Seifert: Well, he improv'd driving the car through the window [Chuckles] —
Phil Traill: Yeah, like, "No, Kel, you've gone too far!" [Laughs] But he was up for everything, he's rollerblading around in the roller rink, a lot of flipping over a wall. We had somebody there to do it for him, but he's like, "I think I got it, I think I got it." "Okay, have a go." He's brilliant.
Kevin Kopelow: I remember years ago, we were doing the Kenan & Kel show, and we had a bit at the top of the show where we wanted Kel to juggle, and we just go, "We should ask him if he could juggle." So we're like, "Can you juggle," and he was like, "I'll learn to juggle," and he did! By the time we shot at the end of the week, he's juggling, and we're like, "Okay, this guy, he's on a whole other level."
Before I let you guys go, I love that, at the end, you guys recreate the "I'm a Dude" song, and you have it over montages of the cast and crew behind the scenes? How did that come about? Because I feel like that's such a rarity to see as wide amount of the crew in behind-the-scenes footage as we get here.
Phil Traill: I actually made another film, and I did that same thing on this other film, and it was just really nice for everyone to see it. So, I wanted to do that here in advance thinking, "I hope we have fun, I hope it works." And then everyone had such a blast, it was like a no-brainer. On the first day, it was like, "Oh, this behind-the-scenes thing's going to be great." Everyone was just up for it because — a lot of cameos, people arrive sometimes on sets, they're like, "[Sighs] Where you want me to be?" They're a little reluctant of how they got themselves into this. They were so excited, like if you said, "Could you come and do this extra bit of filming?" [they'd say] "100%, yes. Now, let's go." We let them do as much as possible, so it was just fun and easy.
About Good Burger 2
Good Burger 2 follows Dexter Reed (Kenan Thompson) and original cashier Ed (Kel Mitchell), as they reunite in the present day at fast-food restaurant Good Burger with a hilarious new group of employees. Produced by Nickelodeon Studios, the movie is set to premiere in time for the holidays on Wednesday, November 22, exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Canada, on Thursday, November 23, 2023 on Paramount+ in the UK and Australia. The film will also be available in additional Paramount+ international markets shortly after.
In addition to Thompson and Mitchell, Good Burger 2 stars Lil Rel Howery (Get Out) as Cecil McNevin, Jillian Bell (Murder Mystery 2) as Katt Boswell, Kamaia Fairburn (Blockbuster) as Mia, Alex R. Hibbert (THE CHI) as Ed2, Fabrizio Guido (Perry Mason) as Mr. Jensen, Elizabeth Hinkler (The Good Doctor) and Emily Hinkler (The Good Doctor) as Cindy and Mindy and Anabel Graetz (Free Guy) as Ruth. The film will also feature surprise celebrity cameos as well as original GOOD BURGER cast members who are reprising their roles: Josh Server as Fizz, Lori Beth Denberg as Connie Muldoon, and Carmen Electra as Roxanne.
Check out our previous Good Burger 2 interview with Kopelow, Seifert & Traill at NYCC 2023!
Good Burger 2 is now streaming on Paramount+!
Source: Screen Rant Plus
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Good Burger 2
- Release Date:
- 2023-11-22
- Director:
- Phil Traill
- Cast:
- Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Jillian Bell, Lil Rel Howery, Kamaia Fairburn, Alex R. Hibbert, Fabrizio Guido, Carmen Electra
- Rating:
- TV-PG
- Runtime:
- 106 Minutes
- Genres:
- Comedy
- Writers:
- Kevin Kopelow, Heath Seifert, James III
- Studio(s):
- Nickelodeon Productions, Awesomeness Films
- Distributor(s):
- Paramount+
- prequel(s):
- Good Burger
