Wendi McLendon-Covey joins cast of 20th’s ‘Romy and Michele’ sequel, filming underway in Los Angeles

Production is underway in Los Angeles on a sequel to the cult comedy Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, and 20th has added Wendi McLendon-Covey to the project, according to an exclusive report from Deadline published August 14, 2026.

McLendon-Covey, whose recent series credits include St. Denis Medical, will join the previously announced cast, the report says. Her character and the nature of her role in the sequel are being kept confidential, as are plot specifics for the follow-up to the 1997 film.

The sequel has been shooting in Los Angeles since June, Deadline reports. The production timeline is therefore already in motion as the studio continues to build out the remainder of the cast, with further casting and character information not yet disclosed.

Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion was released in 1997 by Disney’s Buena Vista, and it became a durable pop-culture touchstone for its high-energy friendship comedy and its audience appeal beyond initial box-office expectations. The franchise’s return, now in a modern production cycle, will extend the film’s legacy for a new set of viewers while the original’s fan base remains an obvious part of the sequel’s broader market.

20th is producing the sequel, the report states, and the studio has not provided additional information about the project’s storyline, setting, or the creative team publicly in the material referenced. As a result, details that can affect audience expectations, such as which characters return and how the sequel will handle the original characters’ histories, remain unconfirmed in the reporting.

Neither Deadline’s report nor the related information visible in the item provided indicates a release date, distribution plan, or whether the project will follow a theatrical-first approach or a streaming-centered rollout. Those elements typically become clearer closer to completion, when marketing timelines can be set.

For now, the concrete update is the casting of McLendon-Covey and the confirmation that the sequel has begun production in Los Angeles, with the studio choosing to keep both character details and the sequel’s plot under wraps.