Last Thursday, June 27th, a story broke claiming that the Jeff Bridges and John Goodman has signed up for a sequel to the 1998 cult classic The Big Lebowski, and the Coen brothers had signed on to write and direct. The internet rejoiced.

Unfortunately no one noticed that the story was broken by Super Official News, a parody news website.

Super Official News wrote about the sequel, “The story centers around Jeff Bridges as Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski and Walter Sobchak who is played by John Goodman. The two have just learned that their bowling alley will be closing in exactly one week to make way for a parking garage all at the hands of a corrupt and evil land owner named Bavarian Illuminati, who is played by Bill Murray.”

Several news outlets, like CBS Los Angeles, picked up the story, and it spread across the internet like wildfire before it was dismissed.

CBS Los Angeles later confirmed it was a hoax, “Not so fast Lebowski fans! We are now told that this story is bogus! The “sequel” story first surfaced in 2011 and took up traction today — but we have now learned it is false. Fans waiting for a sequel … will have to wait a little while longer. Sorry for the “Big” letdown.”

The Big Lebowski, starring Bridges as “The Dude” and Goodman as his friend Walter Sobchak, has become a cult favourite since its release in 1998. The film has spawned its own annual festival, Lebowski Fest, and an online religion called Dudeism, but the Coen Brothers have consistently claimed to have no interest in making a sequel.