iVillage Entertainment

It’s one of the most notorious flops in movie history, but time heals all wounds: the 1995 film Showgirls is about to get a sequel.

The original film followed the NC-17-rated exploits of Nomi, a stripper who dreamed of being the top showgirl in Vegas. Played by Saved By the Bell’s Elizabeth Berkeley, Nomi spent the film stripping down, going into hysterical rages, doing seizure-like dance moves – and eventually, achieving her dream. Showgirls now has a regular run on the midnight-movie circuit (along with other campy classics like The Rocky Horror Picture Show), and plays occasionally on basic cable, with the nudity covered by unconvincing digital lingerie.

The filmmakers behind Showgirls had planned for a sequel (the end of the movie has Nomi leaving Vegas for Hollywood, and presumably a new set of adventures), but because the movie lost so much money, plans were scrapped. Now, 14 years later, a follow-up is rumored to be in development. Showgirls: A Story of Hope will focus on a very minor character from the first film, Penny (stripper name: Hope), who peels down with Nomi at a seedy strip joint before her friend leaves for Vegas. The character was played by model Rena Riffel, who’s reportedly up for the sequel. (We suspect the film’s other actors all suddenly had pressing engagements.) According to the one leaked plot summary, the new film is about a stripper who dies from a dose of contaminated cocaine, causing her brother to seek revenge in Frankfurt, Germany.

So, wait – the main character dies at the beginning of the film? Are we reading that right? Can you even make a Showgirls movie without a stripper in the leading role? Apparently producers are less concerned: filmmakers have already raised 25 million dollars for the sequel, which will be made in Germany. (Showgirls with subtitles? Now that we’d like to see.)

What did you think of the original Showgirls? Chime in below!