There Will Be No (Second) Friday Night Lights Movie, Thank God
After years of fueling the rumors himself, Friday Night Lights creator and director Pete Berg—a man not generally know for his ability to exercise restraint (see: Battleship)—has shot down hopes of a second Friday Night Lights movie.
In an interview with Collider, Berg states "There's not gonna be a movie. We talked about it, some people thought it was a good idea, some didn't; I've come to believe it's probably not a good idea and I seriously doubt it's gonna happen." This is a good thing! As many lazy TV watching fans are quick to forget, Friday Night Lights the TV series was already based on a 2004 movie of the same name, directed by Berg, and based on a book by his cousin H.G. Bissinger. While a movie based on a tv show based on a movie based on a book would be a serious contender for the title of "The Most Hollywood Thing Ever To Happen," no amount of Tim Riggins' favorite cold brew could numb the trainwreck this movie would be, if it ever came to light.
Berg and Friday Night Lights executive producer Jason Katims have long been stoking the fire of a Clear Eyes Full Hearts revival. In February of 2012, Berg told MTV News that he and Katims weren't done with the movie, that Katims was almost done with the script, and that it would all come down to scheduling of the major characters. Castmember Connie Britton told Details in May of 2012 that she had seen the outline of the film in Katims' office, while Berg confirmed in the same interview "We're doing the movie." Just a few months prior, Britton had told Us Weekly the same, stating that the film was "happening for realsies."
Kyle Chandler, who played dreamboat Coach Eric Taylor, was the only alum to show any sort of restraint (because, of course Coach Taylor would be the only person to get it right): telling MTV News back in December of 2012 that the movie was not happening, and that "they ended the show in exactly the right way, at exactly the right time."