‘I’m Not Through With It Yet’

It’s been over three decades since writer-director Amy Heckerling’s baby-babbling comedy Look Who’s Talking landed on cinema screens, starring Kirstie Alley as an unexpectedly-expecting mother to Mikey, a little one whose inner thoughts are narrated by none other than Bruce Willis. It was a huge box-office success, grossing $297 million worldwide on a budget of just $7.5 million, and spawned several follow-ups – including two movie sequels (1990’s Look Who’s Talking Too and 1993’s Look Who’s Talking Now), and a TV spin-off series, Baby Talk.

But there may be more to come from the LWTCU (Look Who’s Talking Cinematic Universe). Speaking with Empire for our 35th anniversary feature on the original film, Heckerling revealed that she’s working on a up-to-date script within the franchise. “Who knows if it’ll become a ‘thing’,” the filmmaker says. “But I’m excited. I’m not through with [Look Who’s Talking] yet.”

Heckerling is writing the up-to-date script alongside her daughter Mollie, who was actually the inspiration for the original film back in 1985. “She was looking at us, we were looking at her,” the director recalls, of a morning when her and her husband were eating breakfast across the table from baby Mollie in a high-chair. “Suddenly, [we] started ad-libbing things she might be saying. In my mind, I was like: ‘Oh no. This is gonna be my next movie’.” It marked a shift in tone compared to Heckerling’s previous work, including the racy teen movie Fast Times At Ridgemont High. The concept felt “kinda hokey”, she says. “Family-oriented and cute – and I don’t feel like that’s me. But this was the idea I had.” And a pretty great one it was, too.

Read our full Look Who’s Talking anniversary feature in Empire’s world-exclusive Captain America: Brave New World issue, on sale Thursday 19 December. Pre-order a copy online here.