The Writers Of 10 Things I Hate About You Can’t Imagine Ever Doing A Follow-Up Without Heath Ledger

While the film was later turned into a short-lived TV series back in 2009, screenwriters Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith and Karen McCullah told Refinery29 that they can’t see themselves making a sequel or reboot without Heath Ledger who died in 2008 (via The New York Times). “Given Heath’s death, I think it would be hard to do it without him,” said McCullah. “I wouldn’t want to reboot with another cast since this is the perfect cast, to me.” Smith echoed her screenwriting partner, adding that the idea of a reboot or sequel has come up from time to time, but it’s just never felt right. “He [Ledger] was such a central part of the story and the sun around what so many of the actors orbited,” she said.

According to HuffPost, Ledger was 18 years old when he auditioned for “10 Things I Hate About You.” Like much of the cast, Ledger’s career would skyrocket following the film’s release with credits such as “Brokeback Mountain” and “The Dark Knight.” According to Refinery29, this was also a big break for the film’s writers who have continued to help grow the rom-com genre with films like “Legally Blonde” and “She’s the Man.”