Austin Powers 4 in the works: Groovy, baby?

Nine years after the snaggletoothed international man of mystery Austin Powers was last on the silver screen, Mike Myers' iconic spy character could be headed for a fourth round of self-amused, hedonistic crime-fighting. Though industry blog HitFix first reported that Austin Powers 4 was a done deal, the real story, according to Deadline, is that Myers, 48, hasn't yet officially signed on, but is expressing keen interest in an offer to revive the series. Either way, it seems likely that the hairy horn-dog could be returning to theaters. Will Austin Powers still be "groovy," or even tolerable, a decade later?

Yeah, baby! Yeah! It appears Myers has finally recovered from the critical and box office disaster, 2008's The Love Guru, a flop that many commentators considered career-ruining, says Scott Ross at NBC. And that's a good thing, because, "in his day, Myers was among the funniest men alive." Myers "consistently crafted hilarious and imaginative characters," including Austin Powers. Having the actor back in front of the camera will be a welcome sight.

"Having finally recovered from The Love Guru, Mike Myers firing up Austin Powers 4"

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This "reeks of desperation": Shrek sequels aside, says Gabe Toro at Indie Wire, it's been years since Mike Myers has had a hit. Clearly, he has "too much ego to try the character-actor bit" — hence his decision to resurrect a "one-joke concept that wore itself thin" during the first Austin Powers film in 1997. Given the decline of quality across the original trilogy, not to mention Myers' career, "it's hard to see how this is going to be an A-list offering."

"That's one shagadelic dead horse: Mike Myers returns for Austin Powers 4"

Is anyone really surprised?: The original Austin Powers films were box office blockbusters and the once-groovy character is "still very recognizable (and therefore marketable)," says Angie Han at Slash Film. It also wouldn't be the first time that a franchise is rebooted with a decade or more between chapters — look at Indiana Jones (19 years), Die Hard (12 years), and Toy Story (11 years). "It's not terribly difficult to imagine the International Man of Mystery telling a whole new decade to 'Oh, behave!'"

"Austin Powers 4 may not be a done deal after all…for now"