Austin Powers IV

Mike Myers is reportedly close to signing a deal for a fourth Austin Powers.

This news brings mixed feelings for me.  I really liked the the first Austin Powers, but I did not think the second one was as funny and I thought the third one was terrible.  Plus after being parodied and spoofed so many times, the references to Austin Powers have become dated.  Ten years have passed since the first movie.  After such a long time, can Austin Powers still be funny?

I'm trying to think of movies where a fourth one comes out so long after the first three, and how they normally fare.  One movie that immediately came to mind was Indiana Jones IV.  I did not think it was as terrible as some people found it, but it was nowhere as good as the first three.  Another example was Star Wars I.  I realize Star Wars I was supposed to be a prequel, but it was still the fourth movie in the order that they came out, and I would argue it was the worst one of the series.

Perhaps it isn't fair to compare these movies to Austin Powers.  After all, when Mike Myers is on, he is hilarious.  He has disappeared from Hollywood after the failure of The Love Guru (with the exception of the Shrek movies and a small part in Inglorious Basterds).  Hopefully the break has given him new ideas and he can bring the funny again, but doing a fourth Austin Powers seems to be a move in the wrong direction.