Guy Pearce has shared the clearest timeline yet for the Priscilla Queen of the Desert sequel, suggesting the follow-up to the 1994 cult classic could reach audiences as early as 2028. Speaking during a red carpet appearance on Good Morning America, the former Neighbours star offered fans a rough schedule, while making clear it remains an estimate.
Pearce sets out the Priscilla Queen of the Desert sequel timeline
‘Well, the sequel, right, which is going to be, what are we now ’26? We’ll probably shoot it ’27. It’ll come out ’28,’ Pearce told the programme. The candid breakdown is the most specific the project’s principals have offered since writer-director Stephan Elliott confirmed in 2024 that a sequel was in the works, with Pearce, Hugo Weaving and Terence Stamp all attached to reprise their roles.
The original film followed two drag queens and a transgender woman travelling across the Australian outback in a tour bus, encountering an eclectic mix of characters along the way. It has retained a passionate following in the decades since its release, making the question of a sequel one that fans have tracked closely.
Last year, Pearce described the team as working on a script to recreate the ‘amazing experience’ from the first film, though he was careful to stress they would only proceed if the result was ‘worthwhile’, as he told Deadline.
Terence Stamp’s final scenes and Elliott’s emotional tribute
The sequel carries a profound layer of loss. Terence Stamp, who played Bernadette Bassenger, a transgender nightclub artist, in the original, passed away aged 87 in August. His death came after he had already filmed scenes for the follow-up, in a pre-shoot Elliott organised specifically to secure his contribution.
Elliott revealed the detail to Deadline, explaining that after arriving at a ‘pretty special’ script, he ‘decided to pre-shoot all the Bernadette scenes’. He described the process as a multi-camera shoot spread across several demanding sessions, given Stamp’s age.
‘He was 87, turning 88… And I put him through a multi-cam shoot, spread over several gruelling sessions,’ Elliott said. The director paid tribute to Stamp’s commitment throughout, noting the actor brought full energy to the work despite everything the sessions required of him.
‘All I can say is, that the old trouper gave it everything he had. He hated putting the wig on again. But at the same time, my God, you could have bottled that smile,’ Elliott said. ‘I mean, it was brilliant fun, and he really did have the time of his life. But calling “that’s a wrap” on Terence Stamp… are going to be words that will haunt me to the day I die.’
The words carry weight for anyone familiar with what the original film meant to its cast and crew. The three leads (Pearce, Weaving and Stamp) formed a unit whose chemistry defined the picture, and Elliott’s decision to build Stamp’s scenes into the new film before production formally began speaks to how central Bernadette remains to the story he wants to tell.
With Stamp’s footage already in the can and Pearce pointing to a 2027 shoot, the Priscilla Queen of the Desert sequel appears to be moving from development into something more concrete. Whether the 2028 release window holds will depend on production, but for a project that has been quietly gathering shape for some time, having a rough calendar in place marks a clear step forward. Digital Spy first reported Pearce’s Good Morning America comments.
Related Posts
