“Even though it’s not based on my own experience, I got to infuse a lot of my feelings about mothers and daughters in a way that felt like such a love letter to my mom,” says screenwriter Jordan Weiss of Freakier Friday, the sequel to Disney’s beloved 2003 body-swap comedy, dialing up the chaos with a multigenerational twist.
Freakier Friday carries significance on multiple levels—cultural, emotional, and cinematic, especially as a sequel to a film that’s become a generational touchstone.
It’s the seventh instalment in the Freaky Friday franchise, continuing a legacy that began with Mary Rodgers’ 1972 novel and evolved through various adaptations. By revisiting the 2003 version’s characters, it taps into millennial nostalgia, while introducing Gen Z perspectives through Anna’s daughter and stepdaughter.
The film reflects modern family dynamics, including blended families and intergenerational relationships, making it more relevant to today’s audiences. The body-swap premise becomes a metaphor for empathy and understanding, especially across generational divides.
Directed by Nisha Ganatra, known for The High Note and Late Night, the film blends heartfelt family drama with fantasy comedy., the film blends fantasy and grounded realism, elevating the genre beyond slapstick. It’s one of Disney’s few sequels that continues a story rather than rebooting it, showing a shift toward character continuity and emotional evolution.
Set 22 years after the original identity crisis, Anna (Lindsay Lohan) is now a mom with a teenage daughter, Harper, and a soon-to-be stepdaughter, Lily. When a mysterious fortune teller enters the picture, lightning strikes again—literally—and the body-swapping madness resumes. This time, it’s not just Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Anna switching places, but also the younger generation, adding layers of emotional and comedic tension
Emotional Core: Mother-Daughter Dynamics
The screenplay for Freakier Friday was written by Jordan Weiss, with the story credited to both Elyse Hollander and Weiss. Weiss is known for her work on the Hulu series Dollface and the film Sweethearts, and she’s brought a fresh, emotionally grounded lens to this sequel—especially in exploring mother-daughter dynamics.
Weiss brings a signature blend of emotional authenticity and comedic sharpness to Freakier Friday, and it deeply shapes the film’s tone and structure.
Weiss described the film as a mother-daughter love story, drawing from her own close relationship with her mom—especially during her teen years when her mother battled breast cancer. This personal lens infuses the story with vulnerability and warmth, grounding the fantastical body-swap premise in real emotional stakes.
Her previous work, like Dollface and Sweethearts, often explores platonic and familial relationships with a rom-com structure that’s both witty and introspective2. In Freakier Friday, she leans into this by surrounding the leads with a “murderer’s row” of comedians, ensuring the humor stays fresh and character-driven.
Weiss has a knack for making big, surreal moments feel emotionally believable. Whether it’s a sex tape filmed in a Danny Zuko costume or four people swapping bodies, she asks: “Does it feel real to the character?” That question helps keep the comedy broad but grounded.
With multiple body swaps across generations, Weiss’s writing balances chaos with clarity. Her experience crafting layered character arcs in ensemble casts allows her to juggle emotional nuance while keeping the story cohesive.
Jordan Weiss is an American screenwriter, director, and producer known for her emotionally grounded storytelling and sharp comedic voice. She studied Writing for Screen and Television at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, where her breakout series Dollface began as a college writing sample. Weiss’s work often explores themes of identity, vulnerability, and female relationships, blending absurdist setups with emotional realism. Her credits include Dollface (Hulu), an episode of Harley Quinn, and the feature Sweethearts, which she co-wrote and directed. In 2025, Weiss penned Freakier Friday, the multigenerational sequel to Disney’s Freaky Friday, infusing the body-swap comedy with personal resonance drawn from her own experiences, including her close relationship with her mother during a period of illness. Weiss is currently working on the film adaptation of Curtis Sittenfeld’s Romantic Comedy, bringing her signature balance of intimacy and wit to new cinematic spaces.
Nisha Ganatra is a Canadian-American director, screenwriter, producer, and actress known for her emotionally rich and culturally resonant storytelling. She studied at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she began crafting films that spotlight underrepresented voices. Her breakout feature Chutney Popcorn (1999) explored LGBTQ+ themes within a South Asian context and earned acclaim across international festivals. Ganatra has since directed a wide range of television series—including Transparent, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Dear White People—and helmed studio films like Late Night (2019) and The High Note (2020), both praised for their blend of humor and heart. In 2025, she directs Freakier Friday, a sequel that deepens the emotional core of the beloved body-swap comedy. A Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee, Ganatra continues to champion inclusive narratives, using her platform to amplify stories that reflect diverse identities and experiences.
