Actress Marina Bye has joined the cast of the new Inbetweeners movie, landing her breakthrough film role as a bride in the comedy revival.
The 33-year-old was pictured on set for the first time wearing a bridal gown, although it has not been revealed which of the four lead characters she will marry in the upcoming film.
She joins returning original cast members Simon Bird, who plays Will McKenzie; Joe Thomas, who plays Simon Cooper; James Buckley, who plays Jay Cartwright; and Blake Harrison, who plays Neil Sutherland.
Bye brings a strong comedy background to the project, having inherited the sharp humor of her mother, the American television presenter and actress Ruby Wax, 73, and her father, TV producer Ed Bye, 71.
Wax and Bye are also parents to 36-year-old actress Madeline and 38-year-old computer coder Max. Unlike his sisters who work in entertainment, Max leads a low-key life away from the spotlight in Washington with his wife of five years, Katy Balls.
Marina Bye previously appeared as Pandora Henry in the Prime Video series The Girlfriend, and held minor roles in the Hulu series We Were The Lucky Ones, as well as the feature films Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy and Wonka. Her sister Madeline has featured in films including A Caribbean Dream, How to Talk to Girls at Parties, and Breathe.
The two sisters host a comedy podcast together and regularly perform as a double act called Siblings Comedy, which has featured at the Edinburgh Fringe festival.
Speaking about their working relationship to The Guardian in 2020, Marina said: "When you've lived with someone all your life and come out of the same womb, you speak the same language. You understand each other's rhythms, each other's humour. When Maddy and I do comedy together, it's like we could finish each other sentences. We never collide, we never interrupt."
Ruby Wax praised her daughters' comic abilities in a 2017 interview with The Guardian. "Maddy is a comedian and Marina is an actress," Wax said. "Maddy and Marina have just started a comedy show called Siblings. If they weren't funny I wouldn't encourage them but they are. When they are all round for dinner they make [brother] Max laugh so much he cries."
In a 2020 interview with The Mirror, Wax offered further insight into their home life. "Even though my daughters are comedians they don't ask for my advice - in their eyes I know nothing," she said. "They do spot-on impressions of me. Max is a coder. The dinner table conversations we have are just hilarious. I hope I've taught them to be adventurous."
Inbetweeners movie plot and cast details
Plans for the new Inbetweeners film first emerged last month before Netflix officially announced the project. The hit British coming-of-age sitcom originally aired on Channel 4 from 2008 to 2010, spawning two feature films in 2011 and 2014, followed by a television reunion special in 2019.
Following the announcement, fans began predicting storylines for the third movie earlier this month. Supporters speculated on the future trajectories of geeky Will, lying Jay, gormless Neil, and earnest Simon, while some expressed concern that the show's trademark broad comedy might become "watered-down and politically correct."
Fans shared detailed plot theories across social media. One fan predicted: "Inbetweeners 3 predictions: Jay is woke, Neil is rich from stocks/crypto, Simon is back with Tara. The film is Will's stag do and his fiancée is Charlotte or just someone too fit for him so that's a joke made all film."
A second fan wrote: "Predictions: Simon's getting married but Tara's back on the scene and he's had his head turned. Stag do antics see Neil (who's in recovery) in bother... Will funds the trip with the bonus from his City job. Jay lives hand to mouth and is an awesome stay at home dad to five kids."
Emily Atack absence and cast feud
Despite public enthusiasm for the film, reports indicate that streaming executives were keen to secure more than just the four male leads. Bosses reportedly wanted actress Emily Atack to reprise her role as Charlotte 'Big Jugs' Hinchcliffe.
Atack, 36, who recently starred in the drama series Rivals, reportedly refused to return due to an alleged longstanding feud with James Buckley. Months of speculation surrounding the revival had focused on whether Atack would rejoin the cast, with reports suggesting she previously delayed reunion talks.
Sources indicated that Atack declined to participate after being unceremoniously dropped from the 2019 television reunion special seven years ago following a reported "past fling" between the co-stars.
