Movies McG is open to returning for Charlie's Angels 3: 'Maybe we've got one left in us' The director says he was nearly fired from the first film “on many, many occasions” due to his zany ideas. By Jessica Wang Jessica Wang Jessica is a staff writer at Entertainment Weekly, where she covers TV, movies, and pop culture. Her work has appeared in Bustle, NYLON, Cosmopolitan, InStyle, and more. She lives in California with her dog. EW's editorial guidelines Published on August 30, 2023 09:00AM EDT Somebody get a recast Bosley on the phone: McG is not closing the door on a potential Charlie's Angels 3. The director helmed the 2000 adaptation starring Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, and Cameron Diaz as core private investigator trio Dylan Sanders, Alex Munday, and Natalie Cook, respectively, as well as the 2003 sequel Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. Chatting with EW about his upcoming Netflix comedy film Family Switch, McG says he'd be up for one more big adventure with Barrymore & Co. — though he's also very much happy to "pass the torch" to another filmmaker. "It would take a long discussion with those three wonderful performers who I adore," McG says. "I was very happy to see Elizabeth Banks take the helm and do what she did, which was fun. There always seems to be chatter about that. I'm very happy to discuss it with Drew and Cameron and Lucy, but at the same time, I'm very happy to pass the torch. I mean, I love the Tim Burton Batman movies, I love the new Batman movies. It's just sort of like there can be a keeper of the flame and you can pass the torch." But, "Who knows? Maybe we've got one left in us that tells a very compelling story if the opportunity presents itself," he adds. "I love the three of them so much. They put me on the map. They looked out for me when I was a first-time filmmaker. I was very nearly fired off that film on many, many occasions, and Drew stood up for me and I'm forever indebted to her. And obviously, those are three performers where God broke the mold. They don't make 'em like that. I mean, those are three special ones." Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz, and Drew Barrymore in 'Charlie's Angels'. Columbia Pictures/Newsmakers/Getty Images The director's zany ideas (what's a McG film without a dance sequence, really?), he says, proved to be a little too much for Sony. "The movie was insane at the time," McG says. "[Former Sony executive] Amy Pascal would come down and go, 'What? Am I supposed to laugh? Am I supposed to take it seriously? Why is there so much color? Why are they always dancing? Why is there so much music?' I said, 'Amy, you got to trust me. It's all going to come together in the end.' And to her credit, she trusted me, yes, but by the skin of my teeth." Barrymore said on her eponymous talk show last year that she would return for a potential third film with Liu and Diaz "in a heartbeat." "I would be surprised if any one of us ever decreed that we wouldn't [do a third movie]," she said. "I would. I would in a heartbeat. The answer is an emphatic yes. I will always say yes." In 2020, Barrymore even staged a Charlie's Angels reunion for the premiere episode of her show, welcoming her former costars and longtime pals as her very first guests. "The thing that I love about our friendship is that we have been there in all the big and important moments, we've also been there in the small moments and the casual moments," she said of their bond on the show. "The reason we are such good friends is because it's real and we go through real stuff with each other. It's not a Hollywood fairytale." Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more. Related content: Charlie's Angels stars Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu reminisce over nude photos Charlie's Angels reunite as Lucy Liu is honored with a star on the Walk of Fame Watch Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu hold sweet Charlie's Angels reunion