Jeff Bridges thinks a Big Lebowski sequel would really tie the room together: 'What a good one'

Twenty-five years ago The Big Lebowski bowled over audiences with the introduction of unlikely cinematic hero Jeffrey Lebowski, better known simply as The Dude, portrayed by Jeff Bridges.

Reflecting on the film's anniversary, Bridges said he'd "certainly" step into The Dudes slippers again, with one obvious caveat.

"Oh God! If the brothers were involved, I certainly would," Bridges told PEOPLE when referring to Joel and Ethan Coen, better known simply as the Coen brothers, who wrote, produced, and directed the 1998 movie.

"The brothers, they're mysterious and full of surprises," Bridges said. "You don't know what they're going to do, so since they're surprising, I don't think they'll make a sequel. But like I say, they're surprising, so maybe they'll surprise me and make a sequel."

Co-starring Julianne Moore, Sam Elliott, Steve Buscemi, John Goodman, and John Turturro, The Big Lebowski unravels a wild series of events following an attack on The Dude in a case of mistaken identity. All the while The Dude is just looking to get compensation for the rug his attackers pissed on.

But in all fairness...that rug really tied the room together.

Initially The Big Lebowski was met with mixed reviews and tepid box office returns, following the Oscar-winning success of the brothers' previous film, Fargo. Over the years since, the film has become a true cult classic ultimately being named to the National Film Registry in 2014 by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Technically, there has been a sequel to The Big Lebowski, though without the involvement of the Coens or Bridges. Turturro reprised his role as Jesus Quintana in 2020's Jesus Rolls, which he also wrote and directed.

General consensus was: gutter ball.

Despite its enduring popularity, or maybe because of it, the Coens have repeatedly said they wold never do a sequel to The Big Lebowski. As a matter of fact, there's only one film in their oeuvre they would consider revisiting.

"We're going to do a Barton Fink sequel at some point," Ethan Coen told Variety. The acclaimed film about young New York playwright Barton Fink (Turturro) hired to write a Hollywood film won the Palme d'Or at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival.

"That's the one movie that we thought deserved a sequel, called Old Fink," Joel Coen added.

Still, The Big Lebowski holds a special place in many a heart, including The Dude himself.

"That movie, I'm so proud to be a part of that movie," the Oscar-winner said. "What a good one."

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