Latest news with #NishaGanatra


Geek Tyrant
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
New Trailer For Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan's FREAKIER FRIDAY — GeekTyrant
Disney has released a new trailer for Freakier Friday , which sees the return of Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan as they once again navigate the challenges of body swapping. But, this time it involves two families with a four-way body swap involving grandkids. In the film, 'Years after Tess & Anna endured an identity crisis, Anna now has a daughter and a soon-to-be stepdaughter. As they navigate the challenges of two families merging, Tess and Anna discover that lightning might strike twice.' There's no doubt that fans of the original film are going to love what this movie delivers. It certainly seems to fave the same quirky and crazy vibe and humor. The movie is directed by Nisha Ganatra and it also stars Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Ryan Malgarini, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Stephen Tobolowsky, Lucille Soong, Rosalind Chao back in their respective roles from the original. It also stars Julia Butters, Manny Jacinto, Vanessa Bayer, and Sophia Hammons. Disney will release the film on August 8th, 2025.


Time of India
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Jodie Foster shares why she turned down cameo in 'Freakier Friday'
Actress and filmmaker shared why she opted out of a cameo appearance in the new 'Freaky Friday' sequel as and return to the big screen for ' ', a sequel to the 2003 film. Foster starred in 's original 1976 version as a child star opposite Barbara Harris, reported People. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'Freakier Friday' director Nisha Ganatra shared in April 2025 that "we begged" Foster to make a cameo in the new movie, but "she's not going to do it." While speaking on the Cannes Film Festival premiere of her French film 'Vie Privee', she shared why she was not part of the film. "I was busy doing this movie," she said, referring to Vie Privee. "But Jamie Lee Curtis is a really good friend of mine. I followed the shoot and all that stuff", as per the outlet. Foster added that she "would never have chosen to be an actor" if she hadn't been "thrown into it at age 3." "When I was a kid, I worked so much that by the time that I was 18, I needed to take a different approach," she said, adding, "If I could do something else, if I was a writer or a painter or sculptor, that would be good too. But this is the only skill I have," reported People. Foster also shared why she doesn't often take comedic roles. "I don't love doing comedies in English. And maybe it's because, in America, when we make comedies, they don't have a lot of subtlety or intelligence. For me, that's essential," said Foster, adding, "So I don't find very many that I love." Foster shared, "It's hard for me to be fascinated with comedy for longer than a week. After about a week, I'm like, 'Oh, can we get this thing over already?' They're much harder to make than dramas." Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In 'Freakier Friday', Curtis and Lohan return as mother-daughter duo Tess and Anna Coleman. "Anna now has a daughter of her own and a soon-to-be stepdaughter. As they navigate the myriad challenges that come when two families merge, Tess and Anna discover that lightning might indeed strike twice," as per the synopsis. 'Freakier Friday' is an upcoming film directed by Nisha Ganatra, and written by Jordan Weiss. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, it is a sequel to Freaky Friday (2003), based on Mary Rodgers's 1972 novel, and the seventh overall film in the franchise. Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Rosalind Chao, Chad Michael Murray, Mark Harmon, Ryan Malgarini, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Stephen Tobolowsky and Lucille Soong reprise their respective roles from the original film, with Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, Manny Jacinto, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Vanessa Bayer joining the cast. 'Freakier Friday' hits theaters August 8, People reported.


The Guardian
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Freakier Friday cast and crew criticise ‘hurtful' Asian stereotypes in 2003 film
The director and leading cast member of Freakier Friday, the soon-to-be-released sequel to Disney's 2003 body-swap comedy Freaky Friday, have criticised the 'hurtful' Asian stereotypes of the older film and said they 'owed audiences to make it right'. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, director Nisha Ganatra, a Canadian whose parents were first generation immigrants from India, said of the 2003 film: 'I remember watching it and feeling torn, mostly about the Asian representation … It was something I brought up right away when I had my first meetings with the producers. I had a moment of the presentation that was like, 'problematic Asian representation!'' Ganatra was referring to a pivotal scene in Freaky Friday, in which stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, playing a mother and daughter, read the messages in a pair of magical fortune cookies in a Chinese restaurant which then triggers their body swap. (This is not a scene that appears in either the original 1972 novel, written by Mary Rodgers or the 1976 film adaptation starring Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris.) Freakier Friday, written by Jordan Weiss, has dropped a repeat of the Chinese restaurant scene, given Rosalind Chao and Lucille Soong, the actors who appeared in the 2003 scene, cameo appearances, and, according to Ganatra, provides 'little moments that don't betray this movie, but were satisfying for people who found hurtful moments in the last one'. The Philippines-born Canadian actor Manny Jacinto, who plays Lohan's fiance in Freakier Friday, also expressed concerns about the earlier film, saying: 'I remember watching the first Freaky Friday and being like, this did not age very well, regarding the diverse characters.' Jacinto added: 'Knowing Nisha and speaking to other people within our circles, I knew we had a captain who was very much aware of those archetypes, or those issues presented in the first one.' Ganatra said: 'It was a different time and wasn't done intentionally [in the 2003 film], but it's a real thing. It's something I, being Asian, was super conscious of.'


Perth Now
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Freakier Friday director Nisha Ganatra addresses 'hurtful' Asian representation in bodyswap classic
'Freakier Friday' director Nisha Ganatra felt "torn about the Asian representation" in the first film. The 50-year-old moviemaker is at the helm of the sequel to the 2003 Disney comedy - which saw Chinese restaurant owners casting a bodyswap spell on feuding mother and daughter Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Anna Coleman (Lindsay Lohan) via pair of fortune cookies - and brought up the "problematic" issue with producers as soon as she signed on to the project. She told Entertainment Weekly: "I remember watching it and feeling torn, mostly about the Asian representation, and also the soundtrack that was being used. "It was something I brought up right away when I had my first meetings with the producers. I had a moment of the presentation that was like, 'problematic Asian representation!'" The first film - which was a modernised remake of the 1978 film that starred Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster - was directed by Mark Waters, and Ganatra felt that she needed to "make it right" for audiences this time around, so she has added in "little moments" to deal with the issue. She added: "We owed audiences to make it right on this one.' "There's little moments that don't betray this movie, but were satisfying for people who found hurtful moments in the last one. "It was a different time and wasn't done intentionally [in the 2003 film], but it's a real thing. "It's something I, being Asian, was super conscious of." In the upcoming film - which is set to be released on 8 August 2025 - Manny Jacinto stars as Anna's fiancé, and he noted that the lack of "diversity" in the initial movie was a problem for him. He said: "When I considered hopping on board, I remember watching the first Freaky Friday and being like, this did not age very well, regarding the diverse characters. "Knowing Nisha and speaking to other people within our circles, I knew we had a captain who was very much aware of those archetypes, or those issues presented in the first one. I felt very well taken care of."