There’s been plenty of whispers of a new Austin Powers movie over the years, but””despite the fact that it looked like we’d be getting the movies in bulk for years to come much like the Saw and Fast and Furious franchises””they just kind of ended after 2002’s Goldmember.

Yes, it’s been almost a decade since the last installment, but it would appear that the time has come for Austin Powers 4 to become a reality. HitFix is reporting that Mike Myers has officially signed on to return to the role(s) for a fourth time, elevating the project from a rumor (that some wanted to see come true and others very much did not want to see come true) to a reality.

It’s not yet known if other stars will be back to join Myers or if Jay Roach will return to direct, nor is it known what kind of storyline will be used to try and one–up the previous films while attempting to keep things fresh.

Another question is how many other characters Myers will be playing. One has to assume Dr. Evil is a shoo–in, but there is, of course, plenty of others that could be brought back and likely one or two new ones being brainstormed.

Personally I’m actually kind of excited about the news. The biggest problem that the Austin Powers movies have faced is that they were TOO quotable, and they all got old very, very quickly. So it’s easy to forget how funny they were when they were new. Hopefully a good ten year rest is enough to chip off some of that staleness and deliver another solid laugher in the series.

It will definitely be interesting to see the approach taken to a sequel this long after the original trilogy, as well as what those involved decide to tweak or keep the same.

[Source: HitFix]