Lindsay Lohan recently returned to Hollywood with a splash as she secured an exciting Netflix deal. However, her return just got a whole lot bigger as she will be joining forces with Jamie Lee Curtis to bring viewers the long-awaited Freaky Friday 2.
Lohan was 16 years old in 2003 when she starred in the Disney movie Freaky Friday. It was her first major film role after starring in The Parent Trap and was one of the first movies that brought her international recognition and helped establish her as a teen idol. The movie was actually Disney’s third adaptation of the book of the same name by Mary Rodgers. It follows teenager Anna (Lohan), who often finds herself at odds with her widowed mother, Tess, especially as her mother prepares to remarry. Meanwhile, Tess is exasperated by Anna’s rebellious teenage behavior. The pair are forced to understand each other better, though, when they unexpectedly switch places with each other.
The third adaptation of Rodgers’ work was a critical and commercial success. It has since become a cult classic and inspired several other body-swapping stories. Fans have long waited for a sequel, but rumors of Freaky Friday 2‘s development have especially picked up in the last two years. Finally, last month, viewers got confirmation that the movie is in development.
Freaky Friday 2 is officially happening
The Freaky Friday fandom fell into a frenzy recently when Jamie Lee Curtis posted a photo of her and Lohan reuniting. She kept her caption cryptic, though she did tag Disney in her post, leaving many speculating that it had something to do with Freaky Friday 2.
Sure enough, news quickly broke that Disney was officially moving forward with the Freaky Friday sequel and had tapped Nisha Ganatra to direct. Ganatra is a film director and screenwriter best known for serving as a director on And Just Like That… and Welcome to Chippendales. Meanwhile, Dollface creator Jordan Weiss has signed on to write the script. According to The Hollywood Reporter, both Curtis and Lohan are already in negotiations to reprise their roles as Tess and Anna. Based on Curtis’ follow-up post, which included a photo from the original Freaky Friday alongside a caption of a single green checkmark and a picture with Weiss and Ganatra, it seems she’s fully on board to return as Tess.
Aside from Curtis and Lohan, no further casting announcements have been made. However, an open casting call has teased some of the other characters appearing in Freaky Friday 2. There is currently an open casting call for characters named Harper Coleman and Lily.
According to the casting call, Harper is Anna’s 14-year-old tomboyish and moody daughter, who is unhappy about her mother’s impending marriage to Eric. Meanwhile, Lily is Eric’s 14-year-old daughter, who is described as “sharp-tongued.” The pair don’t get along, and Harper is determined to stop the wedding at all costs.
Entertainment Weekly reportedly viewed the audition sides for Harper and Lily and found that Harper’s actor is encouraged to “channel Anna,” while Lily’s “should channel Tess.” Hence, it seems the plot of Freaky Friday 2 could follow a four-way body swap, with Anna and Tess switching places with Harper and Lily, respectively. While not officially confirmed, this potential plot sounds very interesting, making it reminiscent of the original plot but with a unique new twist.
No news has come out yet of whether any of the other original Freaky Friday stars will return. The actors most likely to return are Mark Harmon as Ryan (Tess’s second husband), Ryan Malgarini as Harry Coleman (Anna’s younger brother), and Chad Michael Murray as Jake (Anna’s first love interest). All of these actors are still active in the industry, and there’s no reason why their characters couldn’t return in a sequel.
However, viewers will have to wait and see whether any other original Freaky Friday stars sign on to return. Given that the movie is only in early development, viewers may be waiting until at least mid-2025 for Freaky Friday 2‘s release. However, updates are expected to be forthcoming as the project progresses.
(featured image: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution)
