As Super Troopers 3 arrives, Steve Lemme opens up about the future of Broken Lizard, from long-awaited sequels to ambitious original films.
Twenty-five years after Super Troopers became a cult comedy phenomenon, Broken Lizard has no plans of slowing down.
While the comedy troupe is preparing to bring Super Troopers 3 to theaters on August 7, Steve Lemme says the group’s future stretches far beyond their latest sequel. During an exclusive interview with Nerdtropolis, Lemme shared encouraging updates on the long-awaited Potfest, revealed that a Tacoma FD movie is actively being discussed, teased why Super Troopers 4 may already be causing them trouble, and opened up about several ambitious projects fans never expected from Broken Lizard.
For fans wondering what’s next after Super Troopers 3, the answer is simple. Broken Lizard has more projects in development than ever before.
Potfest Is Finally Moving Forward
Few comedy sequels have been requested as often as Potfest. Ever since Beerfest ended by teasing a fictional follow-up in 2006, fans have spent nearly two decades asking Broken Lizard when the movie would actually happen.
According to Lemme, those questions have never stopped. “It was a joke that we wrote at the end of the movie of Beerfest, and yeah, it has taken on a life of its own,” Lemme told Nerdtropolis. “People angrily approach us, ‘Where’s Potfest?’ They’re like, ‘We don’t need Super Troopers 3, we want Potfest!’”
The reaction has even surprised the group. “You realize stoners are surprisingly aggro sometimes when they really care,” he joked.
The biggest news, however, is that Potfest is no longer just an idea. Lemme confirmed Broken Lizard has officially started working on the project. “The boring answer is there’s a studio that owns it that’s potentially being acquired. But we have started working on it.”
He cautioned that the process is still complicated, but assured fans the sequel remains a priority. “There’s a lot of moving parts. But fans of that movie can rest easy tonight knowing that it’s not just forgotten by us. It’s on our minds.”
With Beerfest celebrating its 20th anniversary this August, it’s the most substantial update Broken Lizard has offered in years.
Super Troopers 4 May Already Be Creating Another Fan Campaign
Ironically, Broken Lizard may have accidentally repeated history. Just as Beerfest created years of anticipation for Potfest, Lemme admitted Super Troopers 3 ends with a similar tease.
Now they’re wondering if they’ve once again created expectations they’ll have to fulfill. “We do the same type of joke at the end of Super Troopers 3. Now we’re like, ‘Why did we do that?’ Maybe we’re trying to will it to happen.”
Lemme compared it to how superhero franchises tease future installments after the credits. “I guess when you write something down, everybody believes it… So I guess when you say it, everyone believes it.”
Whether that eventually leads to Super Troopers 4 remains to be seen, but if history repeats itself, fans probably won’t let Broken Lizard forget the tease anytime soon.
Tacoma FD Could Be Returning as a Movie
One of the biggest surprises from the interview centered on Tacoma FD.
Although the firefighter comedy ended after four seasons, Lemme revealed Broken Lizard has already begun developing a feature film continuation.
“We have been discussing the film version,” he said. “We have an idea for what the movie would be. I don’t want to give it away, but we’re in the outlining process. It’s very early stages, but everybody’s game.”
Lemme believes the show’s cancellation had little to do with viewership.
Instead, he said it became a casualty of the changing streaming landscape. “It became a victim of the streamers. HBO Max was still struggling… Time Warner made the decision to cut all of their scripted programming. We were the last scripted show to get cut.”
Ironically, Tacoma FD only found an even larger audience afterward. “Tacoma FD had another huge life on Netflix. As I understand it, it’s coming to Amazon Prime this fall.”
Despite its cancellation, Lemme still considers the series one of the highlights of Broken Lizard’s career. “For all of us, it was kind of the greatest job of all time. From a creative standpoint, an acting standpoint, a writing standpoint, producing standpoint… it was just, we had a blast doing it.”
Its popularity has remained so strong that Lemme admits something he never expected. “These days, I sometimes get recognized more for Tacoma FD than I do for Super Troopers.”
He also credited the show’s cast and fans for continuing to keep the conversation alive, noting actress Hassie Harrison’s enthusiasm has helped fuel excitement surrounding a potential movie.
Broken Lizard Has Several Surprise Projects in Development
While sequels remain a major focus, Lemme says Broken Lizard is also looking toward completely new territory.
“We have a bunch of scripts right now and a couple of outlines for projects. I can think of three right now that are completely different than what people would expect from us.”
Among them is a passion project the group has wanted to make since its earliest days. “We’ve got one that we’ve been trying to get off the ground our entire careers that’s based on a sketch that we used to do.”
Another screenplay is already being repackaged before being pitched to studios. “I actually have the hard copy of the script right here… We’ve put it back into a pitch form so that we can pitch studios right now. It’s a wild one.”
Lemme also teased what could become Broken Lizard’s first animated feature. “I think it can only be an animated movie because I’m pretty sure it’s like a $125 million budget.”
“Maybe somebody will give us that for a live-action version. But it could be a great animated movie, which I think would also be a really cool thing for us.”
If those projects move forward, they would represent some of the biggest creative swings in Broken Lizard’s history.
Even Their Own Story Could Become a Movie
One unexpected moment during the conversation came when Nerdtropolis suggested that Broken Lizard’s own history could make for an entertaining mockumentary.
Lemme immediately warmed to the idea. “We’ve been talking about that on this tour,” he said, though he laughed that a book might work even better because each member remembers events differently.
“We all have different versions of some of the things that went down… Everybody gets to tell their version of the story.”
He even suggested a mockumentary following the making of one of their movies could work.
After all, real life inside Broken Lizard can already be absurd.
Lemme recalled one writing session where members spent nearly 30 minutes passionately arguing over whether a screenplay should use an ellipsis or a hyphen.
“The other three of us went and got lunch, and these guys kept arguing,” he said with a laugh.
“If that’s what you’re arguing about, maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe you’ve got nothing left to fight about.”
The Future Has Never Looked Busier
While Super Troopers 3 marks Broken Lizard’s long-awaited return to theaters, it’s clear the comedy troupe isn’t looking in the rearview mirror.
With Potfest finally entering development, a Tacoma FD movie beginning to take shape, multiple original films being pitched, and even the possibility of an ambitious animated feature, Steve Lemme says the group has no shortage of ideas waiting for their chance.
For a comedy team that’s spent nearly four decades making audiences laugh together, the next chapter may be one of its busiest yet—and if the fans have anything to say about it, they’ll be hearing one question everywhere they go:
“So… where’s Potfest?”
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Sean Tajipour
Sean Tajipour is the Founder and Editor of Nerdtropolis and the host of the Moviegoers Society and Reel Insights Podcast. He is also a member of the Critics Choice Association. You can follow on Twitter and Instagram @Seantaj.
