If the masterpiece that is Freaky Friday was also crucial in forming your personality growing up, we have some excellent news for you — a sequel is officially headed our way. As confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, Disney is working on a sequel to the super popular 2003 film, which will be penned by Elyse Hollander.
As if that wasn't good enough news, both Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis are both expected to reprise their roles, bringing back to life one of the most chaotic (and heartwarming) mother-daughter duos cinema has ever witnessed. To celebrate Freaky Friday's 20th anniversary, Curtis and Lohan sat down with the New York Times on May 10 to talk about the film's impact.
“As I went around the world with Halloween Ends, people wanted to know if there was going to be another Freaky Friday," Curtis told NYT. “Something really touched a chord." Lohan added that she and Curtis are definitely “open” to returning: “We would only make something that people would absolutely adore.”
Rumors about a potential Freaky Friday sequel first started swirling in late 2022 after Curtis dished about it during an appearance on The View. At the time, the actor admitted that not only was she very much down to make the sequel happen, but that she had actively contacted Disney about it. (Curtis and Lohan's Freaky Friday was produced and released in theaters by Walt Disney Pictures.)
"I've already written to Disney… I'm in their new Haunted Mansion movie," Curtis said during the interview. "I'm 64 years old… so my point is I'm wide open, creatively I am wide open… Bring it!"
Aside from being on board, Curtis also shared some solid ideas about what the sequel could be about. "Let me be the grandma, let me be the old grandma who switches places, so then Lindsay gets to be the sexy grandma who's still happy with Mark Harmon in all the ways you would be happy with Mark Harmon," Curtis continued. "I would like to see Lindsay be the hot grandma, and I would like to see me try to deal with toddlers… today. I want to be a helicopter parent in today's world as an old lady."
Now, Lohan is only 36 years old, so not sure if she would fit the "grandma" bill to a tee — but other than that, we see the vision! Whether screenwriter Elyse Hollander does as well, now that the sequel is confirmed, is another thing. (BTW, Lohan had previously also opened up about the potential whereabouts of her character, and her theory is quite different from Curtis's.)
The 2003 version of Freaky Friday was Disney's third adaptation of Mary Rodgers's 1972 novel of the same name and inarguably its most popular. The movie follows a mother-daughter duo played by Curtis and Lohan as they mysteriously switch bodies by way of a magic fortune cookie. The adaption was instantly beloved when it premiered, amassing over $160 million at the box office. It has since grown into cult-level status.
Freaky Friday is the latest in a parade of sequel announcements. In recent years, fan favorites like Hocus Pocus, Legally Blonde, and, more recently, Beetlejuice have gotten the sequel treatment. Now, if you need me, I'll be rewatching Freaky Friday on Disney+ until further notice.
Editor's Note: This post was first published on October 11, 2022. It has since been updated.