Julia Butters, known for her work in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and The Fabelmans, is in talks to join the Freaky Friday sequel at Disney, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The studio first confirmed plans for the long-hoped-for film last year, and in March announced Nisha Ganatra of Welcome to Chippendales had been tapped to direct.
Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, who starred in the original, were also in talks to return, though the studio has not officially confirmed any of its cast, including Curtis and Lohan. Disney had no comment on Butters’ casting.
Andrew Gunn, who produced the 2003 movie, will produce alongside former Disney exec Kristin Burr.
Curtis and Lohan have spoken openly of their aspirations for a Freaky Friday sequel for years. “We would only make something that people would absolutely adore,” Lohan told the New York Times in 2023.
The pair celebrated the news of Ganatra’s hiring in March with a post on Instagram.
The previous film was a remake of the a 1977 film starring Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster that was based on the 1972 novel by Mary Rodgers. Directed by Mark Waters from a script by Heather Hach and Leslie, the 2003 movie made $160.8 million worldwide, earned positive reviews from critics and is now considered a cult classic.
The Insneider first reported the news.
Butters is repped by UTA.
