Monty Python was dead. It had passed on. It was no more. It had ceased to be. It had gone to meet its maker. It was bereft of… well, you get the idea. Although various members of the group had appeared together in movies, public performances, cheese parties at each other’s houses, etc., the surviving members have not done a project together under the Monty Python name since Graham Chapman’s death in 1989. That’s almost 25 years ago, if you don’t want to do the math. Now, however, it appears the comedy troupe is getting back together.
Although there has been some animosity within the group over the last few decades–most recently over Eric Idle’s production of the musical Spamalot–they all lent their voices to 2012’s animated A Liar’s Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman. Now it appears they have managed to resolve their remaining differences and will be working together on a new, as-of-yet unspecified project. Although is not yet known exactly what the project will be, Terry Jones’ comments to the BBC that “We’re getting together and putting on a show” have led to speculation that it will be a stage performance of some kind.
A press conference is planned for this coming Thursday in which more information will be provided. Expectations will no doubt be high, as basically every sketch comedy group in existence owes that existence to Monty Python and their TV series, movies, audio albums, live shows, etc.
Which form will this new project take though? The stage performance theory is one possibility, but the best-case scenario is a new movie. They’ve already done a few best-of tours already, so while another one of those would certainly be nice, it wouldn’t exactly be treading new ground.
Whether it’s new material or old, though, it will be exciting to see Monty Python back together again. Although Graham Chapman is still sorely missed, it’s good to see the surviving group is not dead yet.