Mara Brock Akil reveals the exact amount she needs to make the ‘Girlfriends’ movie, and the cast is ready
TheGrio...
“Girlfriends” creator Mara Brock Akil confirmed that the entire original cast is open to returning but studios haven’t matched what she says the story deserves.
Mara Brock Akil says she knows exactly what a “Girlfriends” movie would look like. She has a story ready to tell and has the cast behind her. What she does not have is the funding for it.
In an interview with the “Question Everything” podcast, the Peabody Award-winner said she is looking for $50 million to bring Joan, Toni, Maya, and Lynn back to the screen in a film set in Los Angeles.
Fans have long anticipated a feature that gives “Girlfriends” the proper ending it deserved before it’s abrupt mid-season cancellation in 2008. TheGrio covered the 25th anniversary Pattern Beauty reunion last year, when Tracee Ellis Ross brought the original cast together for a commercial shoot and the internet promptly lost its mind. TheGrio also reported in May 2025 on Akil making the same ask on “Sherri,” when she joked to host Sherri Shepherd, “Do you know anybody who has $50 million?” According to the podcast interview, Akil has had some industry interest but says the offers have not matched what she believes the project needs to be done properly.
“I need the money that I need and if it’s not going to be there, I can’t keep knocking on every door,” Akil said. “I have to sort of move on. But when that money comes, or a new idea comes for a lesser amount, if I can’t do it right, why am I doing it?”
The podcast conversation also touched on the “Sex and the City” comparison, which Akil said she does not want to lean on too heavily, though she acknowledged the parallel. She raised the mixed reception to the show’s reboot as precisely why she refuses to rush the project. “Honey, we were fly on ‘Girlfriends’ too,” she said. She described the kind of event-level experience she wants fans to have around a film.
Akil also confirmed the full original cast is open to returning. “They want to come back. They’re open to it. But we all want the right value,” she said.
Akil added that she is at peace with the uncertainty. “I really believe in God’s timing,” she said. “I can just make new things from the woman that brought you ‘Girlfriends.’”