HomeCulturalPlot of Freaky Friday Sequel Starring Lindsay Lohan Finally Revealed
Plot of Freaky Friday Sequel Starring Lindsay Lohan Finally Revealed
June 26, 2024
Lindsay Lohan, Chad Michael Murray and Jamie Lee Curtis have been confirmed to return for the Freaky Friday sequel.
Oh baby, baby, the Freaky Friday 2 cast is so star-studded. Read More
Case in point: Original cast members Lindsay Lohan, Jamie Lee Curtis and Chad Michael Murray are officially confirmed to be reprising their respective roles as Anna, Tess and Jake in the 2003 film’s sequel, which began production June 24 in Los Angeles.
And those aren’t the only actors returning for take two of the teen classic, which premiered in August 2003. Mark Harmon (who played Anna’s step-dad Ryan), Christina Vidal Mitchell (Maddie), Haley Hudson (Peg) and Stephen Tobolowsky (Mr. Bates) will all be joining in on the fun. Plus, Lucille Soong and Rosalind Chao will re-appear as the mother-daughter duo who own the Chinese restaurant.
As for what fans can expect from the Nisha Ganatra-directed follow-up? Disney shared in a June 24 statement that the story centers on a “multigenerational twist” that takes place years after Tess and Anna switched bodies in the original.
This time around, Anna will have to navigate the challenges that come with merging two families alongside her own daughter and her soon-to-be step-daughter—and possibly discover that, as Disney put it, “lightning might indeed strike twice.”
Ron Batzdorff/Walt Disney/Kobal/ShutterstockAnd while only time will tell how the new story will unfold, one thing is for certain: Lindsay couldn’t be more thrilled to reunite with her on-screen mom, telling People she’s “just excited to work with Jamie again and see how much further we can take it.”
“Because we talk almost every other day in general,” the 37-year-old, now a mom herself, continued, “so I think we’re going to have a lot of fun with this.”
Freaky Friday 2 is set to release in theaters in 2025. While you wait, keep reading to revisit all the secrets behind the original movie.
< Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock1. Based on Mary Rodgers‘ 1972 novel of the same name, the 2003 Freaky Friday is the second remake of the same story. The first film adaptation was released in 1976, while a made-for-television take followed in 1995.
2. The film’s producer Andrew Gunn reached out to Jodie Foster, who played Annabel in the 1976 film, with the hope that she would be interested in taking on the mother role. Foster passed on the opportunity as she was concerned her casting would be a distraction.
3. Annette Bening was cast to play Tess Coleman, but dropped out six days before filming was set to begin.
4. After rising to fame as the original scream queen, Halloween star Jamie Lee Curtis thought her leading lady days were behind her when she was approached by director Mark Waters to replace Bening.
“I was telling interviewers I was 44, a little chubby, my hair was grey, I was refusing to dye it, and I was content with my life,” Curtis told the Telegraph in 2003. “In this business, I’ve always known there’s a point at which the best thing to do is gently back out of the door.”
Ron Batzdorff/Walt Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock5. But after reading the script and meeting with Waters, Curtis decided to take on the matriarch role–dyeing her hair and learning how to play guitar to do so–that would revitalize her career. “Shows what can happen when you let go and let yourself feel liberated,” Curtis explained.
6. After her breakout role in The Parent Trap, Lindsay Lohan took a breather from Hollywood, explaining that she was “thrown off” by her overnight fame.
“It came all at once, and Parent Trap was an amazing movie,” she told IGN in 2003. “How do you do something that can top that? I wanted to go to school and be a normal kid. I went to high school, and I did two Disney Channel things which were fun, just to keep up.”
But when she came across the script for Freaky Friday, Lohan knew it was “perfect” for her.
Moviestore/Shutterstock7. Before Lohan could be cast as Anna, she had to best four other actresses for the part and she didn’t initially impress Waters, who said in a 2005 episode of E!’s True Hollywood Story that her audition was “probably the worst of the five.” However, “we also agreed she was a star,” Waters added. “She had this amazing turbulence and energy which we thought was going to be really interesting for the character.”
8. Kelly Osbourne was initially cast to play Lohan’s best friend, but the reality star decided not to do the movie when her mom Sharon Osbourne was diagnosed with colon cancer.
“I was faced with the choice of a career or spending what could have been the last days of my mother’s life with her,” Osbourne explained to Cosmopolitan in 2013. “The choice was apparently clear. I said, ‘F–k you, career, hello, Mother.’ I became my mum’s nurse 24/7
Moviestore/Shutterstock9. Lohan had her first on-screen kiss in the movie with Chad Michael Murray, who played Anna’s love interest Jake. “I wasn’t too nervous,” Lohan said in a featurette, “after the 15th take!”
10. But Murray revealed during a 2019 appearance on Busy Tonight that he also made out with Curtis off-screen to help “settle” Lohan’s nerves prior to their kissing scene. After Curtis brought Lohan and Murray into her trailer in attempt to break the ice before cameras were rolling, Murray said Curtis “just grabbed me by the back of the head and made out with me.” His reaction? “Dude, I just made out with Jamie Lee Curtis! This is great!”
11. Tom Selleck was originally cast to play Tess’ boyfriend Ryan, but he dropped out of the project after Bening exited. Mark Harmon took over the role and he and Curtis formed a close friendship, with the actress going on to make several guest appearances on Harmon’s hit CBS procedural, NCIS.
12. Orgy band member Amir Derakh taught Curtis and Lohan how to play guitar. Lohan went on to record her first song, “Ultimate,” for the soundtrack.
Moviestore/Shutterstock13. Lohan’s mom and then-manager, Dina Lohan, has a cameo in the final scene as one of the wedding guests.
14. Marc McClure, who played Annabel’s love interest in the 1976 movie, makes a brief appearance as Boris, the delivery man.
15. In an alternate ending, Harry (Ryan Malgarini) and Grandpa (Harold Gould) opened their body-swap-causing fortune cookies just as an earthquake happens, setting up a potential sequel.
> Carlo Allegri/Getty Images16. Speculation about a sequel ran rampant when Curtis told fans at a 2022 Halloween Ends press event in Mexico City that she would “absolutely” reprise the role of Tess. She also offered an update on her friendship with Lohan, admitting she would test the Mean Girls actress “to make sure it’s not a phishing scam” every time she texts her.
“‘What was the song that you and I were trying to learn the rap [that’s] in the middle of the song while we were sitting in the car doing the scene while we were eating French fries?'” Curtis recalled, referencing one of the movie’s iconic scenes. “The answer is the Justin Timberlake song ‘Like I Love You.'” …. she and I were playing the tape, then we’d go back and rewind, the two of us were writing the lyrics to that whole rap in the car.”
17. Three months before the original film’s 20th anniversary, Curtis and Lohan are expected to body swap for a second time, with E! News confirming a follow-up movie is in the works.
