If you were a teenager in the 2000s, then you surely remember the great Disney masterpiece Freaky Friday. Who can forget the hilariousness of a mom and daughter who end up switching bodies thanks to a fortune cookie? It has somehow been 20 years since we saw Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan as Tess and Anna, but they are reportedly reprising those roles in a Freaky Friday sequel titled Freakier Friday. According to The Hollywood Reporter, both stars are ready for more body-swapping adventures, with Elyse Hollander penning the script and Nisha Ganatra set to direct.
Disney recently announced that Freakier Friday will hit theaters on August 8, 2025.
For now, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan are expected to reprise their roles in Freakier Friday. Additionally, Variety reveals that Julia Butters has joined the Freaky Friday sequel in an unknown role. But given what we know about the movie so far, we might speculate she’ll play the daughter or future stepdaughter of Lohan’s Anna.
Additionally, Deadline reports that Manny Jacinto is is reportedly in talks to join the movie. We are 100% pro this casting.
More Updates on Freakier Friday
Lohan and Curtis seemed to confirm news of the movie with a celebratory Instagram post.
Additionally, Lohan herself confirmed during an Andy Cohen interview that the sequel is happening. She remained mum about any production timelines but said that both she and Curtis were excited about a Freaky Friday sequel.
What Will Freakier Friday Be About?
So, what will this movie be about? Well, Jamie Lee Curtis wants her co-star to be a sexy grandma. In an interview with The View, which we learned about via Deadline, Curtis said, “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… 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.” We’d love to see it.
Additionally, Entertainment Weekly reveals that newly minted director Nisha Ganatra shared a casting call on her social media for the movie. The casting call revealed that Anna Coleman (Lohan) now has a daughter and that she’s apparently getting married to a man who also has a daughter. Of course, Tess (Curtis) is still involved. Whatever swap is coming up for our favorite ladies, it seems like four people might be included this time.
Walt Disney Pictures/Buena Vista Pictures
Of course, there are no confirmed details about the Freaky Friday sequel at this time. But it isn’t shocking that this reunion is happening. During a retrospective interview, both Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan told The New York Times that they were open to a Freaky Friday sequel. And we have seen the actresses in very recent projects, too. Curtis came back as Laurie Strode once again in Halloween Ends while Lohan is back in the spotlight after Falling for Christmas, a very cute Netflix rom-com.
We’re still not ruling out Anna’s daughter swapping places with her while Tess tries to help them figure it all out. No matter what the plot is, we are totally down for a Freaky Friday sequel.
If you were a teenager in the 2000s, then you surely remember the great Disney masterpiece Freaky Friday. Who can forget the hilariousness of a mom and daughter who end up switching bodies thanks to a fortune cookie? It has somehow been 20 years since we saw Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan as Tess and Anna, but they are reportedly reprising those roles in a Freaky Friday sequel titled Freakier Friday. According to The Hollywood Reporter, both stars are ready for more body-swapping adventures, with Elyse Hollander penning the script and Nisha Ganatra set to direct.
Disney recently announced that Freakier Friday will hit theaters on August 8, 2025.
For now, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan are expected to reprise their roles in Freakier Friday. Additionally, Variety reveals that Julia Butters has joined the Freaky Friday sequel in an unknown role. But given what we know about the movie so far, we might speculate she’ll play the daughter or future stepdaughter of Lohan’s Anna.
Additionally, Deadline reports that Manny Jacinto is is reportedly in talks to join the movie. We are 100% pro this casting.
More Updates on Freakier Friday
Lohan and Curtis seemed to confirm news of the movie with a celebratory Instagram post.
Additionally, Lohan herself confirmed during an Andy Cohen interview that the sequel is happening. She remained mum about any production timelines but said that both she and Curtis were excited about a Freaky Friday sequel.
What Will Freakier Friday Be About?
So, what will this movie be about? Well, Jamie Lee Curtis wants her co-star to be a sexy grandma. In an interview with The View, which we learned about via Deadline, Curtis said, “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… 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.” We’d love to see it.
Additionally, Entertainment Weekly reveals that newly minted director Nisha Ganatra shared a casting call on her social media for the movie. The casting call revealed that Anna Coleman (Lohan) now has a daughter and that she’s apparently getting married to a man who also has a daughter. Of course, Tess (Curtis) is still involved. Whatever swap is coming up for our favorite ladies, it seems like four people might be included this time.
Walt Disney Pictures/Buena Vista Pictures
Of course, there are no confirmed details about the Freaky Friday sequel at this time. But it isn’t shocking that this reunion is happening. During a retrospective interview, both Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan told The New York Times that they were open to a Freaky Friday sequel. And we have seen the actresses in very recent projects, too. Curtis came back as Laurie Strode once again in Halloween Ends while Lohan is back in the spotlight after Falling for Christmas, a very cute Netflix rom-com.
We’re still not ruling out Anna’s daughter swapping places with her while Tess tries to help them figure it all out. No matter what the plot is, we are totally down for a Freaky Friday sequel.
At Tesla’s recent “We Robot” event, held at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California, tech tycoon Elon Musk unveiled an eyebrow-raising spectacle that would’ve made Isaac Asimov roll over twice in his grave. Musk’s Optimus Gen 2 robots mingled with attendees, served drinks, handed out gift bags, and even danced a little jig in a display blurring the lines between what was once science fiction and reality.
One person tweeted, “It’s like nobody watched iRobot. What the entire f*** is wrong with you people??”
This Disney+ show grows ever more popular as we travel through October toward Halloween. Every step along that path, each episode has focused on the song that is central to the story: The Ballad of the Witches’ Road. But the song isn’t always the same. (Spoilers for Agatha All Along episodes 1-4 ahead!)
The first episode, titled after the song’s opening lyric (“seekest thou the Road”) sets us on the journey outlined by the song the coven sings to open the gate that leads to the Witches’ Road. Each of the witches on this journey hopes to regain her lost power by traveling, but that will mean something different for each of them. Alice Wu-Gulliver (Ali Ahn) sings the same “sacred chant” lyrics as the rest, but she is secretly dancing to a different beat.
Alice’s mother, the rock goddess Lorna Wu (Elizabeth Anweis), left behind a platinum-level hit version of the ballad, with slightly different lyrics. Comparing the first verse from the two, the differences are immediately visible:
Seekest thou the Road I have learned the lesson To all that’s foul and fair Of all that’s foul and fair Gather sisters fire, Our love was forged in fire water, earth and air water, earth and air
We’ve seen the Witches’ Road test Marvel’s Coven of Chaos with water and fire so far with flooding houses and burning music studios. Episode 4 ends with what might be a trial of earth, as the witches are pulled underground. But it also saw them flying through the element of air on broomsticks, so we’ll have to stay tuned to know what’s next.
Lorna’s version of the ballad focuses on the more personal parts of the journey, offering to “risk this heart of mine” rather than the general promise of “glory shall be thine” as offered in the original. In episode 3, Alice explains that her mother was trying to open the Road every time she performed the song. Confiding in Lilia Calderu (Patti LuPone), she says that the whole crowd at her sold-out shows were her coven.
Some of the biggest departures in the songs’ meanings occur in the chorus. Both invite us to go down, down, down the Road. However, the chant tells us we are in a “circle sewn with fate,” while Lorna asks us to “follow me, my friend.” As the relationships in the show swing from antagonism to friendship, viewers can feel the tension between those concepts. Will they walk the road, as Lorna’s version says, “together and alone?” Or will only one of them find “glory at the end?”
Verse two raises some interesting questions regarding the true identities of some of the characters we’re on this jourrney with. In the original, the witches sing, “I hold Death’s hand in mine.” Along with fans speculating over the Teen’s real name, many are wondering whether green witch Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza) is actually Lady Death, Thanos’ ultimate beloved and the Marvel universe’s personification of death itself. This is juxtaposed to Wu’s defiance in her lyrics: “to love that never dies.” Based on the conclusion of episode 3, we can assume that love is the one she shares with her daughter. But with Alice down for the count at the end of episode 4, we don’t know anything for sure.
The 1970s rock version of the ballad has one thing the original does not: a bridge. It contains instructions seemingly meant for Alice alone: “remember what I told you/ it’s the only way we survive.” Those these words might have gotten the daughter through a trial by fire, they might mean even more as the Road leads on.
Finally, the two cuts of the ballad hold hints about where Agatha All Along and the road will end. The original speaks of “tricks and trials,” which we’re already seeing plenty of as the miniseries heads to its conclusions. Lorna’s song, however, tells us “what’s lost is found, what’s fierce is bound,” which hints at reversals of fortune to come. The fierceness that’s bound might be Agatha’s power, or that of the Teen, revealed in episode 4 to be Wiccan, also known as Billy Kaplan, son of Scarlet Witch. Like his mother, this hero can warp reality. Scarlet Witch has used this power in the past to resurrect the dead and preserve those she loves. As Wu’s song says, we still have to “dance with death” but she also says, “I’ll see you at the end.”
This likely means we have not seen the last of this mother-daughter duo. And we shouldn’t count anyone out, no matter how dead they seem to have been. You can catch new episodes of Agatha All Along on Wednesdays at 9pm ET / 6pm PT on Disney+.
Earlier this year, I went to the Viz website to look up when the second volume of Hirayasumi dropped and stumbled upon the news that the manga publisher had launched a new project tiled the VIZ Originals One-Shots program created “for aspiring mangaka,” run by former Weekly Shonen Jump editor-in-chief Hisashi SASAKI!
I love manga and adore a good one-shot via manga. A one shot in manga is more commonly known as a single, sometimes standalone story. It is the manga equivalent of a short story and an excellent way for readers to get a feel for a manga creator’s storytelling and art style. The one-shots in this newer project–which are free to read–online and in the app.
I wanted to continue this series and share my thoughts on the third round of entries after reading them and give my thoughts below! This roundup is full of (good surprises!) with creators I’m already familiar with and excited to see more of their storytelling via manga and this program!
The creative in this batch of one-shots that I may be most familiar with is Alissa as Image Comics’ Sleepless was the first work I remember seeing her name attached to. (Weeaboo has long been on my to-read list and it just got bumped up). When I saw her name, I immediately knew that this one shot would be a winner in my eyes and one I would gush about here in my coverage of it. And guess what, my friends? She did NOT let me down! Sun Tribe Waffle Shack Index features “two psychics and one normal guy, please enjoy this unique and funny story about one extraordinary night in an ordinary diner…” as supplied by Viz.
Here’s the thing: Sun Tribe Waffle Shack Index, as a one shot, is just a lot of fun to read. Sallah’s short is obviously influenced by many pieces of media that we love like The Twilight Zone, Doctor Who, different anime and manga series–it is uniquely its very own story. This one-shot earns an award from me just for the many great one-liners throughout the entire work from “Nothing sane about middle America” to “This ain’t the garden of Eden, b#tch, it’s a waffle shack!“. This great mashup of cosmic horror, gorgeous artwork, and a story that slips in a great ending touching upon the harsh reality of the inability of moving on, this one is worth rereading again and again.
With an obvious admiration for the real-life Waffle House (that is a part of the backbone of America), I love that this entry punches up the weird and imaginative storytelling that Sallah has brought to us with characters that I totally want to see more of, in action again. Those who are chronically online (hello that’s me), may feel rewarded with the later half of this story when the proverbial crap hits the fan and Abbey gets down to business. Bring me back to who I was when I read this one-shot for this first time! Let me experience this amazing story all over again!! Sun Tribe Waffle Shack Index blazes strong with all the really cool fights, dialogue criticizing everything from American work culture to comfort food, and comedic spots that don’t feel out of place in this wickedly hilarious and wild one-shot.
Yes, yes, yes! If you read the first roundup I wrote, you know that I was a fan of Naf’s Cinematic Certitude one shot in our coverage of the roundup of the first entries. So when I saw his name once again, I got hyped for a new story from him. “Flux is the divine energy that allows its users to perform miraculous abilities. But how far will humanity go to master its potential?” is a bit of synopsis of the one-shot provided by Viz which gives us a tiny bit of context for the world we are introduced to. Our protagonist, Mr Sang is mysterious man who travels to a remote village that has seen better days with an employer who is shady at best, evil at worst.
We do find out that Mr Sang, mister main character is a Impellor–a human being with the abilities and powers that border on superhuman, early on in just the first few pages. Naf’s storytelling masterfully shows of the narrative of two men: one on a mission to put a stop to someone committing atrocities–and another man well past reason already controlled by desire for unspeakable progress. On the artwork side: I do appreciate the creator’s tight and controlled fight scenes and special attention to facial expressions so nothing looked goofy or out of place. There was a lot of really cool imagery in the laboratory where the final fight takes place that looked horrific but was appropriate to show the lunacy of the villain and just how far he went, out of control.
The later pages of the one-shot zero in the motivations of the big baddie while also allowing the minor character who initially sent for Mr. Sang, a shining role in the climax. Naf really understands the story beats in this format and how to make a simple story stand out with a great ending. While the tiniest of criticism is that the big fight’s dialogue got a little wordy , the big reveal from the hero and the satisfying ending, for sure made up for it. As I said of his first one-shot, I would love to read more of this universe as well–I would love to see Naf’s name again in another roundup coverage piece in the future–he’s earned it.
I stumbled upon Gigi Murakami late last year and I was pleasantly surprised as I am always on the look out for more Black women artists in comics and those inspired by and who also create manga. I’m also not a huge horror fan so her work intrigued me as well as I don’t always see a lot of folks who look like in most of the mainstream face of the genre. The short synopsis Viz dropped for this one-shot was, “Rippers avenge those who have been murdered, but is revenge ever truly justified?” So Resenter is a darkly beautiful yet bittersweet introduction to Rippers, like Jackie who walk between two worlds with a very important job to do. Vital to the progress of moving souls along, Rippers hunt down the murderers of freshly dead folks and with their permission of those dead, avenge them.
Gigi Murakami brings us Jackie who is tired of her job but knows it has to be done. Readers will get the chance to see Jackie the Ripper, this avenging dark angel of sorts move between comforting and stone cold angry to the folks on her recent job. I could not help but fall in love with this dark tale with a Black female lead balancing the scale and reminding everyone that actions have consequences: regardless of intent, age, gender, or circumstances. Weaved into this one-shot’s narrative is that plight of mortality and how having a conscious weighs down on everyone–even those who aren’t fully apart of the Earthly realm anymore.
The creator’s world is a fleshed out one and the world in-between is one I had fun exploring in this short. I am intrigued and endeared to Jackie as a character and the small and subtle ways this short reminded me that was standing solidly in the horror genre but not a in overly grotesque and over the top way. Emotionally, I felt the pages that Jackie spends with both the victim and the murderer really carried the story and complimented both sides of the narrative at hand. The creator here really did a number with being able to bring out anguish, shock and despair via the artwork as well too. Jackie herself has a full palette of emotions that was super impressive to see that it is worth rereading the short just to study that. I can’t wait to see more of Gigi Murakami at this level and more of the really thought-provoking and meaningful storytelling she has up her sleeve. And that colored cover illustration? I need it on a poster, postcard, bookmark, laptop sticker, nail art decoration, and more!
About VIZ Originals One-Shots:
The One-Shots Program is a showcase for aspiring manga creators, led by renowned former Weekly Shonen Jump editor-in-chief Hisashi SASAKI! The Viz website goes on to put out a call to action: “Whether you are an established creator with a new idea or are putting the finishing touches on your very first one-shot, if you are passionate about manga, we want to hear from you! Learn more about how to submit your work.”
Read all the one-shots from aspiring creators chosen as the first batch in this exciting new project here!
Read more about the VIZ Originals One-Shots Program and read Hisashi SASAKI’s thoughts on each selected entry on the Viz website!
NOTE: I’m catching tweets and bits of discourse online to the Viz One-Shots being region locked. Apologies to thosepossibly being outside North America–disappointing for sure! (Try a VPN, friends! And keep bringing these concerns to Viz!)
