Pitch Perfect 3 director explains absence of male stars

23 December 2017

'Pitch Perfect 3' left out its male character because it was "time to make a fresh start".

Pitch Perfect 3 stars [Instagram]

Adam Devine, Ben Platt and Skylar Astin have no role in the third movie in the franchise and director Trish Sie believes it was important for the female characters to move on from them.

She told The Hollywood Reporter: "When I came aboard, the version of the script that was in play already had those decisions made. And maybe I could have fought hard to bring them back if I really disagreed with that decision, but I didn't, because there was some scheduling stuff involved -- Ben Platt is busy winning awards on Broadway [for 'Dear Evan Hansen'] -- but I think the main purpose was these girls are moving on with their life. Maybe they'll get back to these guys at some point. A lot of people don't end up with their college boyfriend and we wanted it to be about them and their independence and finding their way in the world and moving ahead alone. And it just felt like it was time to make a fresh start."

And Trish hopes the third film in the series - which stars Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson - will not be its last.

She said: "I mean, of course that's above my pay grade and I have no idea and am not the one making the decisions but as far as I am concerned, I would see these movies on and on and on until they start sucking. I think whether it's these women in the next stage of life or it's a new group of women going through these things, I think there are endless ways to chart the course of the girls' lives and a woman's life. There's so many archetypal scenes in these movies that, to me, if you get the right chemistry -- and this cast of course has amazing chemistry and that's why it works -- so if you were to do a reboot you'd have to spend a lot of time making the chemistry right. But assuming you can get that -- singing, dancing, laughing, solving problems together, unlikely heroes, band of misfits -- that stuff is sort of timeless and wonderful and, as far as I am concerned, I would watch it over and over and over again."