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It Finally Happened: The Cast Of ‘That Thing You Do!’ Reunited After 21 Years

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 17:49 PST, Apr 29, 2017

Just when you thought you had forgotten that overly-catchy “That Thing You Do!” song by The Wonders from the classic 1996 film of the same name, the cast of That Thing You Do! reunited to celebrate the film’s 21st anniversary.

The 21st anniversary of That Thing You Do! included The Wonders – with lead singer Johnathon Schaech, drummer Tom Everett Scott, and unnamed (though not so unnamed anymore) bassist Ethan Embry – singing the titular hit song, and Tom Hanks reminiscing about the 1996 musical comedy.

The Wonders reunited at the Roxy Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday, and Tom Everett Scott, Johnathon Schaech, and Ethan Embry couldn’t help but treat fans to the incredibly catchy “That Thing You Do!” song, which seemed to be everywhere in the late 90s.

Tom Hanks – who played the band’s talent manager in the film, turning them into a commercial-friendly phenomenon – however, did not attend the 21st That Thing You Do! reunion, because he says nobody told him anything about plans to do a reunion.

When Entertainment Tonight spoke to Tom Hanks at the Tribeca Film Festival on Wednesday, they asked the two-time Oscar winner about the That Thing You Do! reunion staged by The Wonders the day earlier.

Although Tom Hanks says he “didn’t know anything” about the That Thing You Do! reunion, the actor – who’s actively promoting his new film The Circle that hits theaters this Friday – had nothing but love for the nostalgia-inducing event.

“I thought it was the coolest thing in the world.”

While the 21st That Thing You Do! reunion did not include Tom Hanks, fans of the classic musical comedy were nonetheless excited to see The Wonders — Tom Everett Scott, Johnathon Schaech, and Ethan Embry — performing the hit titular song.

The film showed how small band The Wonders’ success and fame fed off their single song, the titular hit “That Thing You Do!” Tom Hanks, meanwhile, signed a contract with the band, which initially named itself The Oneders, as their representative, changed their name to The Wonders and went on tour with the boys.

Although Tom Hanks hadn’t been able to join in the fun with Tom Everett Scott, Johnathon Schaech, and Ethan Embry on Tuesday, he offered ET a revelation about The Wonders lip sync in That Thing You Do!

Tom Hanks, who recalls his time working on the classic musical comedy as “magic,” said the boys didn’t even lip sync during their time on That Thing You Do!

“They actually sang the song themselves. So God bless them.”

Even though That Thing You Do! makes Tom Hanks overly nostalgic for the 90s, the two-time Oscar winner says a sequel to the 1996 musical comedy wouldn’t make sense.

Tom Hanks explains that he wouldn’t be excited about That Thing You Do! sequel because The Wonders would have to perform in “a whole different era.”

“You’d have to take The Wonders into what? 1966? How do you do that? I think the window was closed on that era.”

At last year’s 20th anniversary, one secret of That Thing You Do! was finally unveiled by one of The Wonders members. It had taken Ethan Embry more than two decades to reveal his character’s real name.

Ethan Embry, who played an unnamed bass player in That Thing You Do! – who the film simply referred in the credits as “T.B. Player” – revealed to Entertainment Weekly that his character went by the name Tobias.

“I just said my name was Tobias, because he’s such a Tobias. You just take the vowels out.”

It remains a mystery as to why the fourth member of The Wonders, Steve Zahn, was not involved in the That Thing You Do! reunion.

[Featured Image by Handout/Getty Images]

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