After staggering into the kitchen and pouring himself a glass of ambition, Diablo Cody finished writing the script for the upcoming remake of 9 to 5.
The “Juno” and “Jennifer’s Body” director detailed how his upcoming film will differ from the 1980 classic, which starred Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly shortly after taking the stage at Comic-Con 2024 on Friday to participate in a panel about his career titled “Jokes and Surprise Jumps.”
“What was really interesting to me is that the original film was so focused on the conflict between the sexes and the corporate world,” Cody said, “and to me, most of the conflict seems to be generational — Gen Z versus Baby Boomers in the workplace, for example. And now we have a generation emerging that has learned to draw boundaries, which is actually, surprisingly, a new development.”
“There’s a whole other generation of people in the corporate world who are being told to just hang in there,” she continued. “So there’s definitely a culture clash there, and I thought, ‘Oh, this would be perfect for a comedy.'”
Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda in 9 to 5.
Everett
The remake, which is set to be produced by Jennifer Aniston, is still in development. “We don’t have any cast or anything like that yet, but we feel like we’re in the process of making it. It’s been really exciting to work on,” Cody said.
As for details about the new version, Cody is remaining quiet: “I want to tell you everything, but I don’t want to get in trouble,” she teased.
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Hosted by Wattpad Webtoon Studios and moderated by Variety film reporter Katcy Stephan, “Jokes and Jump Scares” will take a deep dive into the Oscar winner’s iconic filmography, including “Jennifer’s Body,” the recently released “Lisa Frankenstein,” and the upcoming “Death of a Pop Star.” “Death of a Pop Star” is based on the popular webtoon comic produced by Cody, about a young woman who falls down a flight of stairs and wakes up in hell only to be greeted by her number one fan: the Grim Reaper.
The film explores pop fandom and how it “reaches a craziness and becomes a cult and a terrifying thing,” Cody said during the panel, drawing comparisons to the film “Final Destination.”
Diablo Cody at Comic-Con 2024.
Amy Sussman/Getty
“I don’t want to give too much away because it’s still in development, but there are forces on Earth that are plotting to send her back to the afterlife,” she detailed to EW, “so she has a lot to avoid.”
“I’m a huge pop music fan myself,” she said, adding of her research process, “I was watching how these groups operate and seeing how they can manipulate everything from the charts to the public image of their stars. At the moment, fans have unprecedented power because of the way they can mobilize on social media. So it felt timely for me to make a film in which the biggest fan is this evil force, a literal demon.”
Although the idea is “premature,” Cody said he “want to cast a real pop star” in the lead role, adding that he is a fan of some of the biggest pop stars of the time, including Charlie XCX, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and Beyoncé.
