The Sisterhood is Back, but Where Have They Been?

It's been almost 10 years since the original Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movie came out, and over 13 years since the first book was released. In that time, thousands of girls have read the five-book series, and it has sparked a sequel to the film, and a lot of hope for a multi-movie franchise based on one of the biggest YA books of the early 2000s. And now, members of the sisterhood can put on their over-appliqued bell bottoms and rejoice, for the traveling pants are returning to the big screen. But in the wake of the excitement over a third Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movie, we have to wonder, what have the original big screen sisters been up to in the six years since they last made a movie together. It seems they've all found a way to live without the pants, but let's take it one-by-one.

Blake Lively (Bridget)

You may have forgotten that Blake Lively starred in the Traveling Pants movies, since her wardrobe for the films includes more cut-off shorts and soccer cleats than Miu Miu and Prada. Obviously Blake has been immortalized as Serena Vanderwoodsen in the years between stings in the pants, and since Gossip Girl ended (xoxo), she has been taking on more and more film roles. If you haven't seen her small but drop-dead amazing performance in the The Town, fast-forward through Ben Affleck's terrible Boston accent to see a whole new side of Blake.

Her next movie is called The Age of Adaline, where she stars as a woman who stops aging at 29 after recovering from a near-fatal accident, which certainly sounds like another great moment for Blake to show that she's so much more than an Upper East Side street style fashion icon.

America Ferrera (Carmen)

Even though Ugly Betty is over, America Ferrera has been hard at work. She had a brief stint on the The Good Wife, as the talented nanny and college student Natalie Flores. After her character got US citizenship and moved to DC, her arc was axed.

But even though we haven't seen a lot of America's face on television lately, her voice and likeness have been popping up ins some exciting films. She just finishing showing her indie movie, X/Y, at Tribeca, which also stars her husband and (cue gasp) Sister of the Pants Amber Tamblyn! She also voices Astrid, the leading lady of How to Train Your Dragon, and will be reprising the role in the upcoming How to Train Your Dragon 2. Somehow, I think Carmen would be proud that America is both regrouping with Tibby and voicing a strong female character.

Alexis Bledel (Lena)

Alexis's career seems to have hopped around the dial after the end of Gilmore Girls, and the last Sisterhood movie. She had a three-episode arc on Mad Men that laid out a textbook extramarital affair, she tried her hand at a FOX version of a BBC show, and she starred in a few B-movies. But now, it's possible that the crowdfunding that put Veronica Mars back in the spotlight might do the same for Alexis Bledel's career.

Her upcoming movie with Katherine Heigl, simply called Jenny's Wedding, has taken a page out of Rob Thomas's book and started an Indiegogo campaign to finish production. The film centers on a lesbian couple, played by Katherine and Alexis, who are out in their daily lives, but completely closeted with Katherine's parents. The movie is supposed to take on the ability of "traditional" (read: anti-gay) families to accept their LGBTQ children, and part of the proceeds have already been promised to PFLAG to help real-life families. I'm not sure why a "groundbreaking" film about lesbians couldn't have at least one actual non-straight person in it, but nonetheless, they look cute together, and I always hope Rory's movies do well.

Amber Tamblyn (Tibby)

And now the one we've all been waiting for...Tibby. Aside from helping Carmen, ahem, America out with X/Y, Amber hasn't done anything particularly chic-lit in a while, but she's definitely kept busy. She has guest starred on Two and a Half Men, Portlandia, and Community, usually in fairly small roles. She also appeared in Django Unchained and 127 Hours, although since both of those movies were focused more on action and gore than Tibby, it's understandable if you missed her.

Her most exciting project, Growing Up and Other Lies, is going to air at the Newport Beach Film Festival this weekend. It also stars Adam Brody, bringing two members of the "where are they now" file into what looks like a cute story about us pesky millennials. Good work, Tibby, you're still marching to your own drum.

Image: Embark Productions; MM Productions