When you hear the words “iconic movie,” the usual suspects tend come to mind: “Citizen Kane,” “Raging Bull,” “The Godfather: Part II.” And now, “Freakier Friday.”
This is not an exaggeration: Kate Erbland’s IndieWire review even gave a nod to the enduring fandom of the beloved original 2003 film “Freaky Friday,” with Erbland writing, “If you’re of the mind that Jamie Lee Curtis should have won her first Oscar for her work in Mark Waters’ film. … ‘Freakier Friday’ is very much for you. Simply put: Here is a legacyquel worth the wait. What a concept!”
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And what a concept indeed. How does anyone revisit an iconic classic film — and even arguably make it even better? In-demand screenwriter Jordan Weiss knew exactly how, and even helped land a theatrical release for the sequel that was long rumored to be for streaming only. (A representative for Disney did not confirm or deny original release plans for the film.)
“I’m so glad that it’s going to be released in theaters,” Weiss told IndieWire during a recent interview. “I feel like these big, fun event films that are especially more traditionally girly or geared towards women [should be in theaters].”
Whereas Universal arguably dropped the ball by foregoing a U.S. theatrical premiere for “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” and releasing it solely on Peacock, Disney listened to the overwhelming social media excitement for a beloved franchise when “Freakier Friday” was finally confirmed.
Elyse Hollander, the screenwriter who was first announced as attached to the project in 2023 (Hollander has a co-story-by credit on the sequel, with Weiss as the sole writer), told IndieWire that the film was originally not going to be in theaters.
“I was definitely told in the early days that this is for streaming,” Hollander said. “I think when it was announced, they [Disney executives] were pleasantly surprised by the excitement around it, and it kind of moved it up a tier of like, ‘OK, this can actually become an event and something really special.’”
Of course, the return of original stars Curtis — who championed the sequel for years — and Lindsay Lohan, along with fellow returning faces Chad Michael Murray and Mark Harmon, only added to the fan excitement…and, in turn, the pressure that the “Freakier Friday” team felt when working on the feature.
‘Freakier Friday’©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection
“It’s a big risk for everybody involved to come back. You don’t want to ruin the legacy, you want add to it,” Hollander said. “I was like, ‘I cannot be responsible for ruining a beloved film and adding to a cash grab, schlock pile that would be once direct to DVD.’”
Weiss, who boarded the legacy sequel in 2024 when her “Dollface” collaborator Nisha Ganatra joined as director, credited the shared love for the 2003 “Freaky Friday” among both creatives and executives alike. “I remember seeing ‘Freaky Friday’ in theaters with my mom when I was 10 years old,” Weiss said. “I feel like I was the center of the target audience. I was a huge Lindsay Lohan fan. It was absolutely one of my favorite movies. So when when Disney called with the opportunity to come in and work on it, it was an easy, excited yes.”
According to Weiss, there were certain “non-negotiables” for “Freakier Friday” that Disney spearheaded, such as the inclusion of rock band Pink Slip and the core cast back in lead roles. Kristin Burr and Andrew Gunn, both producers on the 2003 film, also returned for the sequel. Weiss further credited Disney SVP of development Alison Erman for being integral to maintaining the “Freaky Friday” legacy.
“It was a combination of legacy producers and millennial executives and a millennial screenwriter, who were all like, ‘We either love this movie because we worked on it’ or ‘We were children when it came out and are obsessed with every part of it,’” Weiss said. “I think [Alison] being of this generation and having that close tie made her such an asset as a studio executive working on this.” (For all other millennials, Erman is also working on “Princess Diaries 3.”)
The financial return of releasing “Freakier Friday” theatrically remains to be seen, but as Gen-Zers would say, millennial women are already seated. That buying power of thirtysomething women has yet to be fully realized (or at least embraced) by Hollywood, as Weiss explained. Having a female-oriented, nostalgia-driven film in theaters has historically paid off, especially in recent years.
“We saw it with ‘Barbie,’ we saw it with ‘Wicked.’ I think having that in the same way, with how every summer there is a really exciting MCU or DC release, would make sense with these big, female-driven franchises,” Weiss said. “They are finally being given their day in theaters in that big summer blockbuster way. It just makes me so excited as a girl who loves girly pop movies.”
‘Freakier Friday’Glen Wilson
Hollander added, “I think what’s really happening in the zeitgeist is people are actually recognizing that female-leaning IP after ‘Barbie’ actually has a place in the marketplace. We’ve done ‘Transformers,’ we’ve done ‘GI Joe,’ we’ve done ‘Sonic’ and all the comic book movies. So now, what does that gaze look like for us [women]?”
It was actually actress/producer Curtis who had the honor of announcing to fans everywhere that “Freakier Friday” would (thankfully) be in theaters. The Academy Award winner wrote in 2024 teasing the release, “Yes, you heard me…The theaters. The place we all go and enjoy a shared experience in the dark while munching popcorn and candy and laughing together and sometimes crying together. Until then.”
And as for the criticisms that “everything is a remake” nowadays, let’s be real: That’s not new, either. “Freaky Friday” itself was first a 1976 film based on the book by Mary Rodgers. It later became a 1995 TV movie before being once again adapted into the 2003 film that now spurred the sequel “Freakier Friday.”
However, the “Transformers”-esque franchises aren’t complained about online the same way, if at all. “If people want to judge female franchises with a harder lens, that’s nothing new either,” Hollander said. “As women, we’re always held to a higher standard, so we’ll rise to the occasion.”
It works so well with Weiss’ “Freakier Friday” that a third film could even be on the horizon. “Any version of a movie that has complicated female dynamics in a fun, silly joyous way that also has magical realism devices, I’m like, ‘Sign me up.’ So if that means ‘Freakiest Friday,’ yeah, OK,” Weiss said.
Prepare for more possible flack from online trolls, though. Yet Weiss is unfazed. “The thing that is funny to me is that there’s a lot of conversation now of like, ‘Oh my God, everything’s a reboot, everything’s a sequel. I miss the ’90s and early 2000s when everything was original,’ and I’m like, ‘Those were also all remakes,’” she said. “There are probably so many movies that people don’t realize were actually movies from the ’30s or ’40s. I’m like, ‘Hollywood’s built on it.’ Maybe we’re always re-innovating, but I have embraced it. I think that all of these stories are original, and you still are creating something new. We all start with a blank page.”
A Walt Disney Pictures release, “Freakier Friday” is now in theaters.
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