After 24 years without a new Austin Powers movie, Mike Myers is finally offering something more substantial than another tease. The comedian has discussed writing a fourth instalment, and his latest comments suggest that the franchise's most notorious villain, Dr. Evil, could take centre stage.
Speaking on the Hollywood Insiders with Hawk Koch podcast, Myers revisited the characters that made the spy-comedy franchise famous. According to ComicBook.com's account of the interview, the actor is writing the new film with greater emphasis on Dr. Evil's perspective.
"It's more from Dr. Evil's point of view so far," Myers explained, describing the villain as a particularly enjoyable character to portray.
Why Dr. Evil could become the star of Austin Powers 4
Myers has an interesting reason for reconsidering the franchise's balance of power. When speaking with fans, he says he finds their preferences divided roughly equally between Austin Powers and his bald-headed nemesis.
That wasn't necessarily how studio executives saw things when the original Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery was being developed. Myers recalled receiving feedback after an early screening suggesting that Dr. Evil should have less screen time because audiences disliked how cruel he was towards Austin.
Myers disagreed. The character was getting laughs, and he didn't believe the comedy depended on audiences treating Austin as a conventional hero and Dr. Evil as a conventional villain.
The possibility of reversing their roles isn't entirely new. Back in May 2018, Myers told Entertainment Tonight that he would love to make a movie from Dr. Evil's perspective, effectively combining a fourth Austin Powers instalment with the villain's first standalone adventure.
The difference now is that Myers is reportedly describing work on a screenplay rather than simply expressing interest in the idea.
Is Austin Powers 4 actually happening?
In June 2026, Myers appeared on Trevor Noah's World Cup Watch Party and gave a remarkably direct answer when asked whether audiences would ever see Austin Powers 4: "Yes."
As Variety reported at the time, however, he offered no information about the screenplay, production schedule or release date.
The situation became more complicated in September when Seth Green, who played Dr. Evil's son Scott, discussed the sequel on The McBride Rewind podcast. Green indicated that the film was not yet in production and suggested Myers might be encouraging fans to believe the project was further along than it actually was.
Those comments do not necessarily contradict Myers' latest update. A screenplay can be in development long before actors receive scripts or a studio commits to filming.
There has also been a reunion of familiar faces. In June, Myers returned as Dr. Evil for a Verizon advertisement alongside Green, Mindy Sterling as Frau Farbissina and Rob Lowe as Number Two. It demonstrated that several original cast members were willing to revisit their characters, but the commercial was not an announcement of a feature-film production.
What remains unknown about the fourth film?
The original trilogy began with Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery in 1997, continued with The Spy Who Shagged Me in 1999 and concluded with Goldmember in 2002. All three films were directed by Jay Roach, with Myers playing both Austin Powers and Dr. Evil.
Despite the latest developments, there is still no publicly confirmed release date, filming schedule or complete cast for Austin Powers 4. Roach's involvement in directing a fourth instalment has not been formally announced either.
For now, the most significant development is the apparent progress towards a Dr. Evil-focused screenplay. Myers' own wording leaves room for the creative direction to change, and there is no guarantee that the project will reach cinemas.
But after years of speculation, fans finally have a more specific idea of what Myers wants the next Austin Powers adventure to become. And this time, the world's most incompetent supervillain might be running the show.
