Who's ready for a visit with the Banks family?
Nearly 30 years after Nancy Myers charmed audiences with a remake of the 1950 film Father of the Bride—with Steve Martin filling in for Spencer Tracy and newcomer Kimberly Williams-Paisley stepping into a role originated by Elizabeth Taylor—Netflix has given fans of the beloved franchise something to look forward to at the end of another rough week in 2020 with the announcement of one very special reunion.
Debuting on Friday, Sept. 25 on the streaming giant's YouTube and Facebook pages, Father of the Bride Part 3 (ish) is billed as "a very special event to benefit World Central Kitchen" that'll reunite stars Martin, Williams-Paisley, Diane Keaton, Martin Short, Kieran Culkin and George Newborn—as well as "a few special guests."
The reunion marks the first time we've had the opportunity to check in with the Bankses since the events of 1995's Father of the Bride Part II, which saw both Keaton's Nina and Williams-Paisley's Annie give birth to babies. And something tells us that the family will have grown even bigger in the last 25 years.
While we wait to find out what's become of the Banks family in the age of COVID—not to mention see which special guests will be joining them for the reunion—check out what the cast has been up to since we saw them last.
Since playing exasperated patriarch George Banks in the 1991 remake of Father of the Bride and its 1995 sequel, Martin has appeared in blockbusters like Bringing Down the House, Cheaper by the Dozen (and its sequel), The Pink Panther (and its sequel), Baby Mama, and It's Complicated. Not only that, but he's hosted the Oscars three times, returned to SNL five times, published the novellas Shopgirl (which he adapted into a film starring himself and Claire Danes) and The Pleasure of My Own Company, opened two plays on Broadway, and released six folk albums, one of which won the Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album in 2010. After divorcing actress Victoria Tennant in 1994, he married writer Anne Stringfield in 2007. In 2012, they welcomed their first child, a daughter named Mary.
After playing Nina Banks in both films, Keaton starred in First Wives Club, Marvin's Room, Something's Gotta Give, The Family Stone, Book Club and, most recently, Poms. In 1995, she directed her first movie, Unsung Heroes, which she followed up five years later by helming Hanging Up. While she's mostly worked in film, save for the occasional TV movie, she made a substantial leap to the small screen in 2016 with a series regular role in HBO's The Young Pope. An accomplished photographer, she's published several books of her own work, and in 2011, she released Then Again, her first memoir. Though she's never married, she's the mother of two adopted children, daughter Dexter and son Duke.
Following her breakthrough role as Annie Banks, Williams-Paisley landed the lead in the short-lived ABC drama Relativity. While the 1996 series wasn't a hit, she'd find success on the small screen five years later with a series regular role in the sitcom According to Jim. Though never a critical favorite, it did run for nearly a decade on ABC, eventually wrapping in 2009 after 182 episodes—three of which she directed. She's since had recurring parts on Nashville, Two and a Half Men and The Flash, starring roles in a handful of Hallmark Channel films, and appearances in the films We Are Marshall, How to Eat Fried Worms and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Trip. In 2016, she published Where the Light Gets In, which tells the story of her mother's diagnosis with primary progressive aphasia—a form of dementia—through her death. She's been married to country singer Brad Paisley since 2003. They are the parents to two sons, William Huckleberry and Jasper.
Since playing younger brother Matty Banks, Culkin has appeared in the films She's All That, The Cider House Rules, Igby Goes Down and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. On stage, he starred in multiple productions of Kenneth Lonergan's This Is Our Youth beginning in Sydney in 2012 and ending on Broadway in 2014. He followed that up with a two-episode guest appearance in the second installment of Fargo on FX in 2015. Since 2018, he's starred as Roman Roy in HBO's hit drama Succession, earning both Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for his work. In 2013, he married Jazz Charton. The couple welcomed their first child, daughter Kinsey Sioux, in 2019.
Following his work as groom Bryan MacKenzie in the films, Newbern has appeared in The Evening Star, Friends and Lovers, Fireflies in the Garden and Saw VI. He's also made appearances on shows like Friends, Grey's Anatomy, Nip/Tuck and Hot in Cleveland, with notable recurring roles on Scandal and Law & Order: SVU and lent his voice to the iconic role of Clark Kent/Superman in several animated projects, including the Cartoon Network series Justice League, Static Shock and Justice League Unlimited. Married to actress Marietta DePrima since 1990, he's father to three children: daughters Mae and Emma and son Ben.
After playing eccentric wedding planner Franck Egglelhoffer, Short appeared in the films Mars Attacks!, Jungle 2 Jungle, Mumford, The Santa Claus 3: The Escape Clause and Inherent Vice, while lending his voice to animated movies The Prince of Egypt, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, The Addams Family and The Willoughbys. On the small screen, he briefly hosted the short-lived Martin Short Show, starred in Primetime Glick and Mulaney, and appeared in Damages, Law & Order: SVU, Weeds, How I Met Your Mother, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and The Morning Show. He's appeared on Broadway four times, winning the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical in 1999 for his work in a revival of Little Me. In 2014, he published his first memoir, I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend. After 30 years of marriage, his wife and the mother of his three kids, Nancy Dolman, died of ovarian cancer in 2010.
In between stints as Howard, Franck's assistant in the films, Wong appeared in Jurassic Park in 1993 in a role he'd return to in 2015's Jurassic World and the revival's subsequent sequels. Elsewhere, he's booked roles in the films Seven Years in Tibet, Focus, The Space Between Us and Bird Box. He also provided the voice for Li Shang in Disney's Mulan in 1998. On the small screen, he's starred in Law & Order: SVU, Mr. Robot and, currently, Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, while also making appearances on Oz, Gotham and American Horror Story: Apocalypse. In 2000, the openly gay actor and his then-partner Richie Jackson had twin sons, Boaz Dov and Jackson Foo Wong, through a surrogate using Wong's sperm and an egg donated by Jackson's sister. However, Boaz died 90 minutes after birth. Three years later, Wong published a memoir detailing his experience with surrogacy titled Following Foo: The Electronic Adventures of the Chestnut Man. After he and Jackson split amicably in 2004, he began dating Richert John Frederickson Schnorr in 2010. The two eventually married in 2018.
Short's colleague from their SCTV days actually appeared as different characters in both films. In the first, he's credited as "Singer at audition," while in the sequel he's given the much more prominent role of Mr. Habib, the man who nearly demolishes the Banks' home. Since then, Levy's gone on to become a household name thanks to his work in the American Pie franchise, as well as his many appearances in director Christopher Guest's films, including Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman and For Your Consideration. From 2015 to 2020, he starred opposite frequent collaborator Catherine O'Hara and son Dan Levy on Schitt's Creek, a series he and Dan co-created. His work in the show's final season earned him an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy as part of Schitt's Creek's complete sweep at the 2020 Primetime Emmys.
Father of the Bride Part 3 (ish) will go down live on Friday, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on the Netflix YouTube channel, as well as their Facebook page.