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When you hear the words \u201ciconic movie,\u201d the usual suspects tend come to mind: \u201cCitizen Kane,\u201d \u201cRaging Bull,\u201d \u201cThe Godfather: Part II.\u201d And now, \u201cFreakier Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is not an exaggeration: Kate Erbland\u2019s IndieWire review<\/a> even gave a nod to the enduring fandom of the beloved original 2003 film \u201cFreaky Friday,\u201d with Erbland writing, \u201cIf you\u2019re of the mind that Jamie Lee Curtis should have won her first Oscar<\/a> for her work in Mark Waters\u2019 film. \u2026 \u2018Freakier Friday\u2019 is very much for you. Simply put: Here is a legacyquel worth the wait. What a concept!\u201d<\/p>\n More from IndieWire<\/strong><\/p>\n And what a concept indeed. How does anyone revisit an iconic classic film \u2014\u00a0<\/strong>and even arguably make it even better? In-demand screenwriter<\/a> 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.)<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so glad that it\u2019s going to be released in theaters,\u201d Weiss told IndieWire during a recent interview. \u201cI feel like these big, fun event films that are especially more traditionally girly or geared towards women [should be in theaters].\u201d<\/p>\n Whereas Universal arguably dropped the ball<\/a> by foregoing a U.S. theatrical premiere for \u201cBridget Jones: Mad About the Boy\u201d and releasing it solely on Peacock, Disney listened to the overwhelming social media excitement for a beloved franchise when \u201cFreakier Friday\u201d was finally confirmed.<\/p>\n Elyse Hollander, the screenwriter who was first announced<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI was definitely told in the early days that this is for streaming,\u201d Hollander said. \u201cI 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, \u2018OK, this can actually become an event and something really special.’\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, the return of original stars Curtis \u2014 who championed the sequel for years<\/a> \u2014 and Lindsay Lohan, along with fellow returning faces Chad Michael Murray and Mark Harmon, only added to the fan excitement\u2026and, in turn, the pressure that the \u201cFreakier Friday\u201d team felt when working on the feature.<\/p>\n