'The Big Lebowski' Sequel Hoax Pulls One Big 'Gotcha!'

Gotcha, Internet. Remember what they say about anything that sounds too good to be true...

Could a sequel to the Coen Brothers' strange and irreverent 1998 cult comedy "The Big Lebowski" do justice by and become as beloved as one of the movies that made Jeff Bridges an icon? The world may never know. But to hear NME tell it, the false hope and buzz that a recent hoax generated suggests that a follow-up would get people chattering.

A June 27 story run by Super Official News claimed that Bridges (The Dude) and John Goodman (Walter Sobchak) had already signed up for a sequel to be once more written by Joel and Ethan Coen. The phony report even went so far as to claim that the project would begin shooting this October.

It was a fake-out convincing enough to make Neal Caffrey proud - actually, maybe he'd just cringe. The story even passed muster with CBS Los Angeles before that outlet eventually outed it, announcing "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."

Anything of which to be ashamed? Well, that's debatable. The Internet is flush with rumored sequels like these - some even come to fruition, such as confirmed 2011 word from Alex Winter that a second "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" sequel was in the script stages. A third "Ghostbusters" flick remains so mired in rumor - most of it surrounding whether or not Bill Murray wants to be within 150 miles of it - that it could one day enter the mythos of perpetual delays inhabited by Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy, Dr. Dre's Detox and "Duke Nukem Forever."

As NME points out, the Coen Brothers have both said repeatedly that a "Lebowski" sequel isn't on their radar. Then again, consider the original source here. Super Official News' other major headlines have recently included "Details Of The 5-Year Marriage Contract Between Tom Cruise & Kate Holmes," "Obama Says More Gay Comments, This Time About Nickelback" and "Man Not Guilty In Killing Wife Over Too Many Facebook Game Requests."

Besides: Come on, CBS. The source was credited as "The Ass Press." Really? That set off no bells whatsoever?