Remember Jennifer’s Body? 2009 audiences weren’t really thrilled to see Megan Fox play a high schooler eating teenage boys, but more recent audiences have been able to groove on its wavelength more. It’s now got something of a cult classic status, and for writer Diablo Cody, the turnaround’s been so strong that she’s apparently got eyes to do another one.
Looking back on the horror-comedy with BloodyDisgusting, Cody confessed how Jennifer’s initial release and muted $US31.6 million box office left her feeling “pretty humiliated.” Back then, things were rough for both her and Fox, who’d already been caught up in the muck of the second Transformers movie months earlier. Pre-release, the belief on 20th Century Fox’s end was that it’d do pretty well with the young adult crowd, and the studio had tried to give it an extra boost by revealing that Fox and co-star Amanda Seyfried (who played Jennifer’s frumpy best friend, Needy) would kiss at some point in the film. That didn’t end up being the case, clearly.
It was only a few years ago that Jennifer’s Body was appreciated through a feminist horror lens and viewers started to come to its defense. At first, Cody admitted it got a little on her nerves and caused her to ask herself, “Where was this audience when I needed it?.” By her admission, the answer was likely either viewers discovering they liked it via rewatch (which happens!), or just not being old enough to see it in 2009. Either way, seeing people like it has been “what I had thought all along.”
When asked about the chances of a continuation in some form, Cody made clear she was “not done with Jennifer’s Body”. She’s not saying anything concrete is in store, but first and foremost, she wants to find someone “who believes in it as much as I do.” The film is owned by Fox, whose parent company Disney has started putting out new films and shows from its subsidiary’s non-Marvel stable. If Disney decided to greenlight another one, it’d be a good time for it. Even if it ends up being about another Jennifer who gets a similar hunger for some people, it’s worth a shot. If Chucky can have a three-season show, anything’s possible.
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