Disney has given a green light to the sequel of the 2003 body-swap comedy with Nisha Ganatra tapped as director, but the two main stars have not finalized their deals just yet.
- Mar 29, 2024
AceShowbiz - The long-teased "Freaky Friday 2" is officially happening at Disney. The studio has given a green light to the sequel of the 2003 body-swap comedy, with Nisha Ganatra being tapped to direct, according to new reports.
However, Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, who starred as the mother and daughter duo in the original film, have not signed up just yet. Per The Hollywood Reporter which was the first to report the news, they are still in negotiations to reprise their roles as talks only began in earnest in recent weeks.
Andrew Gunn, who produced the first film, is producing the sequel, along with former Disney exec Kristin Burr. The studio has yet to announce a release date for the movie and whether it will be set for a streaming or theatrical debut.
The promising update from the "Freaky Friday" sequel arrives after Curtis posted a picture of her reunion with Lohan on Instagram. On Friday, March 29, the Oscar-winning actress shared the photo featuring her and her on-screen daughter with a caption that read, "DUH! FFDEUX! @disney @disneystudios."
Both Lohan and Curtis have expressed their interests in returning for the sequel since last year. In February 2023, the "Halloween" star posted a photo of her and Lohan on Instagram with the caption, "It's Friday. I'm just sayin! Freaky fingers crossed!"
In an interview with Variety at the Producers Guild Awards in the same month, the 65-year-old expressed confidence as saying, "It's going to happen." She added, "Without saying there's anything officially happening, I'm looking at you in this moment and saying, 'Of course it's going to happen.' It's going to happen."
Later, in an interview with The New York Times published in May 2023, both Curtis and Lohan confirmed that they are open to reprising their roles as a mother and daughter duo. Most recently, Lohan said on SiriusXM's "Andy Cohen Live" earlier this month that the sequel is indeed "happening." Sharing that she and Curtis were "both excited," the "Mean Girls" star confirmed Curtis' involvement in the sequel as she added, "I'm gonna speak for Jamie."
Meanwhile, Ganatra most recently directed episodes of Hulu's "Welcome to Chippendales". Her other credits include 2020's film "The High Note" starring Dakota Johnson and Tracee Ellis Ross, 2019's "Late Night" featuring Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson, as well as episodes of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine", "Dear White People" and "Fresh Off the Boat".
