‘Super Troopers 3’ Cast: Bring Back R-Rated Comedies

Broken Lizard is on a mission.

Not from God, like those Blue Brothers of yore, but a self-driven quest to make moviegoers laugh again. Adult moviegoers, to be specific.

The team behind the “Super Troopers” franchise saw the runaway success of “Scary Movie,” and they want to finish what the Wayans family started.

“We’re trying to bring back the R-rated, American theatrical comedy,” Broken Lizard player/director Jay Chandrasekhar told HiT during the group’s recent Denver visit.

The “Scary Movie” reboot earned $108 million stateside, and another $123 million globally. That kind of math got the film industry’s attention, Chandrasekhar said.

Now, it’s their turn.

“Hollywood is looking at that and looking at us. If we can score, there’s gonna be a renaissance of new R-rated comedies being made,”

Chandrasekhar said.

Enter “Super Troopers 3.”

The third film in the comedy franchise (out Aug. 7) finds Farva (Kevin Heffernan) falling for his colleague Arcot “Thorny” Ramathorn’s sister (Hannah Simone). There’s a new trooper in town (“Saturday Night Live’s” Andrew Dismukes) to disrupt the trooper chemistry. And Brian Cox returns as Captain O’Hagen, retired but as crusty as ever.

Heffernan recalled a test screening for “Super Troopers 3” that affirmed the cast’s comedy quest.

“Some woman raised her hand and said, ‘I’ll be honest with you. I forgot what it’s like to sit in a movie theater full of people and laugh at a movie. It’s such a communal thing.’ And all the [studio] executives are like, ‘oh, ohhhh,’” Heffernan recalled.

“You forget how fun that is … hopefully people will remember,” Heffernan added about the new film.

The original “Super Troopers” caught everyone by surprise. The 2001 indie comedy gave the troupe its first big-screen closeup, and the quintet turned the film’s ribald sketches into a cult comedy smash.

The 2018 sequel expanded the scope and return on investment – $30 million stateside on a budget less than half that amount.

So why the chasm between sequel releases? That’s Hollywood, the Broken Lizard team said.

“The gap between one and two was a lot more on the studio’s side … when the second one came out, the Monday after … they said, ‘Can you do 3?’” Broken Lizard regular Paul Soter said. “It takes some time to get the studio and us happy with it. It can be a slow process.”

The rebel franchise bridges the gap between old-school comedies and the new woke order. Broken Lizard kept to the script over the years, not letting the cultural winds impact their craft.

“It’s always been what makes each other laugh … we’re not writing to the times. That gives us this through line. It’s really just our sense of humor,” Heffernan said.

“It’s about surprise and rebellion,” added Chandrasekhar, the director of all three films and a crush of situation comedies. “The fact that the culture changed and got a little more afraid just made it easier.”

No apologies. Just jokes.

“It’s good to have resistance,” Chandrasekhar said.

In fact, a running joke in the new film finds the Troopers teasing returning player Cox about him getting cancelled for saying the “wrong” thing.

Imagine that, the Super Troopers getting triggered.

Soter said the team wanted a “good, long-term prank” for the threequel. Teasing Cox’s character for that very reason made the cut.

Check out this new clip from #SuperTroopers3 – in theaters this Friday. pic.twitter.com/yBrSvxiEfA

— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) August 4, 2026

Cox has had an exemplary career as a serious actor, including an early turn as Hannibal Lecter in “Manhunter” (1986). The “Super Troopers” films let him cut loose, especially after his turn as the hard-charging patriarch in HBO’s “Succession.”

“I think Brian leans into that a little bit … he’d walk into the makeup trailer and say, F*** off, everyone, now let’s do my makeup,” Heffernan said of his on-set pose.

The ironic part? Broken Lizard player Steve Lemme said Cox admitted the “Super Troopers” work got him the most recognition until the “Succession” role came his way.

“At his heart he likes to do comedy, which is amazing because he’s a great dramatic actor,” Heffernan said. “I think he likes to come back to our sandbox and hang out with us.”

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