In a delightful surprise for fans, actor Josh Gad recently treated Twins enthusiasts to a glimpse of what could have been. The Frozen star took to social media to share several pages of a script he had written for a sequel to the beloved 1988 comedy Twins, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito. Gad explained that the recent State Farm Super Bowl commercial, featuring the two actors, had inspired him to share his creation.
Reflecting on the project, Gad noted, 'Years ago, the late/great Ivan Reitman hired me and my then writing partner @dixonofnoho to write a sequel to Twins called Triplets meant to star Arnold, Danny and Eddie Murphy. It was such a blast developing a follow-up to one of my favorite comedies of the 80’s.'
Unfortunately, the Triplets movie never came to fruition, but Gad treasures the memories of working on it. To commemorate the reunion of Schwarzenegger and DeVito, he posted the 'insane prologue' of the would-be film, Triplets.
While fans won't see Triplets on the big screen, they were treated to a hilarious reunion between Schwarzenegger, 76, and DeVito, 79, in the State Farm commercial. The advertisement showed Schwarzenegger, renowned for his Austrian accent, struggling to pronounce the company's slogan. DeVito, always quick-witted, came to the rescue, prompting laughter with his correct rendition of the line.
Twins, the original buddy comedy, revolves around two genetically engineered fraternal twins who were separated at birth. Released in 1988, the film earned an impressive $111 million at the domestic box office and ranked as the fifth highest-grossing film of that year.
For the sequel, Ivan Reitman, the director of Twins, had planned to return. The story would have involved the brothers discovering they were actually triplets. Unfortunately, Ivan Reitman passed away at age 75 in February 2022. While Eddie Murphy, 62, was reportedly in talks for the film, it was later rumored that Tracy Morgan might fill the new role.
During an interview with GQ last fall, DeVito shared his desire to work with Schwarzenegger again, jokingly remarking, 'We missed Twins 2, because he became governor — which, he should have done Twins 2 instead of becoming governor.'
Schwarzenegger, too, expressed his eagerness to make the sequel. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he revealed that Jason Reitman, Ivan Reitman's son, halted the project after his father's passing. Schwarzenegger stated, 'His father wanted to do it really badly. I wanted to do it really badly. Danny DeVito wanted to do it really badly. We had the financing. When his father passed away, Jason says, 'I never liked the idea' and put a hold on it.'
Although the Triplets sequel may remain a lost opportunity, it's heartwarming to see the enduring friendship between Schwarzenegger and DeVito. And thanks to Josh Gad's script pages, fans can indulge in a small taste of the sequel that never was.
