Welcome back to Good Burger! After years of speculation, Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell revealed that a sequel to the 1997 movie is officially in the works.
The comedians, both 44 — who will reprise their roles of Dexter and Ed, respectively — announced the big news during a surprise appearance on the Friday, March 17, episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger … part 2,” Mitchell exclaimed on Friday, using his character’s signature accent and catchphrase.
After a round of applause from the shell-shocked audience, Thompson offered an update about the movie’s timeline.
“It’s unbelievable, it’s a blessing,” the Heavyweights actor gushed. “We’re gonna shoot it this summer and it will be out soon.”
Directed by Brian Robbins, the OG film was based on the popular sketch from the Nickelodeon series All That, in which Thompson and Mitchellccostarred for several years throughout the 90s. The two went on to star in their own spinoff comedy series, Kenan & Kel, which ran for four seasons from 1996 to 2000 on the kids’ TV network.
“We didn’t [know each other before All That] and it’s funny how we all met,” the Dancing With the Stars alum recalled to Fallon, 48, on Friday. “I don’t know if they planned this, but they had all the kids come one by one off the elevator in the lobby. I remember I was down there already, and the elevator opened, and this kid came out with Mighty Ducks gear on and he had the roller blades and everything. … I’m like, ‘I gotta hang out with that kid!’”
Mitchell added: “I feel like with me and Kenan, it was just, like, I would say a joke and then he would finish it and it just felt like we gelled really good.”
Speculation of a Good Burger sequel has been floating around the internet for years, which Thompson and Mitchell, for the most part, encouraged. At the 2022 People’s Choice Awards, Mitchell exclusively told Us Weekly that he and the Saturday Night Live star “were at the table read and everything” for the film, adding, “It’s going down.”
But when it came to revealing any more details about the movie’s plot or cast, the comedian stated, “They don’t want us to say too much right now.”
In September 2015, the actors revived the beloved sketch on an episode of The Tonight Show. Fallon joined Mitchell behind the Good Burger counter while Thompson played a disgruntled construction worker attempting to order food.
One year later, Mitchell continued to address rumors about the film on an episode of the “Brown and Scoop” podcast. “Everybody is talking about a Good Burger 2, us doing a Bad Boys type of film,” the actor — who returned for Nickelodeon’s All That revival in 2019 — told cohosts Jake Brown and Brandon Robinson in February 2016. “Me and Kenan have definitely been talking about it. You might definitely see something coming up with me and him soon. We have definitely been talking about doing something big for the fans, because everybody has been looking for it.”
The former comedy duo added more fuel to the rumor fire last year. While hosting the 74th Annual Emmy Awards in September 2022, Thompson referenced Good Burger during a segment with Kumail Nanjiani, who posed as the ceremony’s fake bartender. Encouraging the Eternals star to take a patron’s order, Mitchell turned around from his seat at the bar to place an order for, of course, a good burger.
“Oh, my God! Make it two Good Burgers,” Thompson excitedly responded.
Three months later, Keke Palmer parodied Kenan & Kel in an SNL sketch aptly titled Kenan & Kelly, which saw the 29-year-old Nope star — then-pregnant with her first child, who was born in February — fulfill Mitchell’s role. The Game Shakers alum also makes a cameo in the sketch as the father of Palmer’s character’s unborn child, only to be shot when a robber attacks the convenience store from the original series.
Despite reuniting for various TV cameos, both Thompson and Mitchell continued to play coy about the possibility of a sequel film.
“It’s been years [of Good Burger 2 discussions], pretty much since the first one [came out],” the Mighty Ducks actor added on Friday. “[The audience] has spoken. They want it.”
While Thompson and Mitchell have portrayed onscreen besties in the past, their relationship behind the scenes hasn’t always been smooth sailing. In 2012, Mitchell revealed that he and the Kenan star weren’t in a good place since their days on Nickelodeon. “The truth is Kenan does not want to be seen with me in any form of media, or even have my name mentioned around him,” the Adventures in Christmasing star told TMZ at the time. “I have not been upset about this.”
He continued: “I respect his choice of wanting to make a name for himself solo. There is no bad blood on my side. I’m not declining a reunion, I know the fans love the show and would love to see some type of appearance with us. I just don’t see that ever happening because of how he really feels.”
