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More than two decades after the mother-daughter mayhem of Freaky Friday (2003), Disney’s returns to the body-swap well with a bigger ensemble, more swaps, and a zanier premise in the charming and hugely entertaining Freakier Friday. Director Nisha Ganatra and one time HeyUGuys writer Jordan Weiss smartly avoid reboot fatigue by leaning into the legacy of its stars, while passing the torch to a new generation.

Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan effortlessly revive their iconic roles as Tess and Anna Coleman, who are now navigating new, complicated stages of life. Tess is semi-retired, and Anna is a busy music producer woman and single mother to feisty teenager Harper (Julia Butters). Things are already complicated before the magical body-swap chaos begins again. This time, however, it’s not just two people trading places. The film expands the family web to include Harper, her soon-to-be stepdaughter Lily (Sophia Hammons), and Anna...

Freakier Friday, the long-awaited sequel to the beloved 2000s classic, is bringing back most of its original cast, with the iconic duo of Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis leading from the front. While rumors of a sequel to Freaky Friday swirled for years, Disney finally unveiled that a follow-up was in development for a 2025 summer release last year.

Moreover, unlike other comeback sequels of its kind, the sequel retains most of its main ensemble, including former NCIS star Mark Harmon and former teen heartthrob Chad Michael Murray.

Every Returning Cast Member in Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis’ Freakier Friday

In addition to marking Lohan and Curtis’ big-screen reunion after over two decades, virtually every member of the main ensemble is returning. This includes Mark Harmon’s Ryan, Chad Michael Murray’s Jake, Christina Vidal Mitchell’s Maddie, Haley Hudson’s Peg, Ryan Malgarini’s Harry, Rosalind Chao’s Pei‑Pei,...

Freakier Friday North America Box Office Projection: Update ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

The fantasy comedy Freakier Friday is set to be released in the upcoming month and is projected to earn strong numbers on its opening weekend domestically. The film has been praised by critics in the early reviews after it premiered at the El Capitan Theater in LA a few days ago. It is of a different genre from the ones currently running in theaters. Keep scrolling for the deets.

The film reunited Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, who featured in 2003’s Freaky Friday. This upcoming feel-good movie is the sequel to Freaky Friday and the seventh film in the overall franchise. It was based on Mary Rogers’ 1972 novel. This forthcoming movie features Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Rosalind Chao, Ryan Malgarini, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Lucille Soong reprising their roles from the previous film.

It’s been 22 years since Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan first swapped bodies in “Freaky Friday,” but they’re ready to do it again with a new generation in Disney’s “Freakier Friday,” out in theaters next month.

At Tuesday night’s world premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, the Oscar-winning actress explained why audiences need feel-good movies like this highly anticipated sequel to the 2003 family classic now more than ever.

“There’s math involved. You couldn’t make this movie if Lindsay didn’t have a teenage daughter, so she had to be old enough,” Curtis told TheWrap. “And there’s a nostalgia about the movie. In a time of turmoil, you cling to something nostalgic and familiar, so it’s like comfort food.”

“I think ‘Freaky Friday’ is sort of cinema comfort food: it’s satisfying, makes you feel good, makes you laugh, makes you cry.

Freakier Friday is being deemed a "true delight" in its first reactions. A sequel to 2003's Freaky Friday, the upcoming film brings back Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan as mother-daughter duo Tess and Anna Coleman. Now, two decades later, Anna, her daughter, stepdaughter, and Tess find themselves in a four-way body swap, leading to another journey of empathy and connection.

In addition to Curtis and Lohan, Freakier Friday also features Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Rosalind Chao, Ryan Malgarini, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Lucille Soong reprising their roles from the first film. Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, Manny Jacinto, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, and Vanessa Bayer join the cast as new characters.

Now, following its premiere in Los Angeles, the first reactions to Freakier Friday have surfaced on social media. Overall, they are praising the sequel's heartfelt humor, nostalgic charm, and standout performances from Curtis and Lohan. It's being called everything from sweet,...

Twenty-one years after the original landed in theaters, Disney's highly anticipated sequel, Freakier Friday, is earning early praise. While the film doesn't officially hit theaters until August 8, members of the press have had an early look and their initial reactions (from those who have shared their thoughts on social media) point to a hilarious outing. This is exciting news for fans of the original movie, especially considering how often these long-awaited sequels miss the mark.

2003's Freaky Friday saw Jamie Lee Curtis' Tess and Lindsay Lohan's Anna switch bodies after consuming some magical fortune cookies. This time around, Anna is now an adult with a teenage daughter of her own, Harper (Julia Butters). Anna is planning to marry Eric (Manny Jacinto), who also has a teenage daughter, Lily (Sophia Hammons). The film features a four-way body swap, as Tess and Anna find themselves inhabiting the bodies of the two teenage girls.

“Freakier Friday” is a new live-action, fantasy comedy feature, directed by Nisha Ganatra, as a sequel to “Freaky Friday” (2003), based on Mary Rodgers's 1972 novel, starring Lindsay Lohan, Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Ryan Malgarini, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Stephen Tobolowsky, Lucille Soong, Rosalind Chao and Jamie Lee Curtis, reprising their roles from the original film, plus Julia Butters, Manny Jacinto and Sophia Hammons, opening August 8, 2025 in theaters:

“…in this new ‘body-swap’ comedy feature, ‘Tess’ and ‘Anna’ discover that lightning may indeed strike twice…

“…as they navigate the myriad challenges that come when two families ‘merge’…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

On August 6, 2003, Buena Vista unveiled Freaky Friday, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, in theaters. The comedy went on to gross $160 million globally and get a sequel two decades later. The Hollywood Reporter’s original review is below:

For an old warhorse, Freaky Friday looks darn cute. Disney made the original film, based on Mary Rodgers’ novel, in 1977. It starred Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster as a mom and daughter who magically switch bodies and must go through a day in each other’s skin. The property was remade for TV in 1995 and, in reality, the concept stretches from 1948’s Vice Versa to 1988’s Big. Thanks to a script by Heather Hach and Leslie Dixon, the new Freaky plays the obvious gags in ways both surprising and imaginative. And Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan appear to be having a blast playing each other’s characters for more than half the film.

“Freakier Friday” is a new live-action, fantasy comedy feature, directed by Nisha Ganatra, as a sequel to “Freaky Friday” (2003), based on Mary Rodgers's 1972 novel, starring Lindsay Lohan, Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Ryan Malgarini, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Stephen Tobolowsky, Lucille Soong, Rosalind Chao and Jamie Lee Curtis, reprising their roles from the original film, plus Julia Butters, Manny Jacinto and Sophia Hammons, opening August 8, 2025 in theaters:

“…in this new ‘body-swap’ comedy feature, ‘Tess’ and ‘Anna’ discover that lightning may indeed strike twice…

“…as they navigate the myriad challenges that come when two families ‘merge’…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

“Freakier Friday” is a new live-action, fantasy comedy feature, directed by Nisha Ganatra, as a sequel to “Freaky Friday” (2003), based on Mary Rodgers's 1972 novel, starring Lindsay Lohan, Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Ryan Malgarini, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Stephen Tobolowsky, Lucille Soong, Rosalind Chao and Jamie Lee Curtis, reprising their roles from the original film, plus Julia Butters, Manny Jacinto and Sophia Hammons, opening August 8, 2025 in theaters:

“…in this new ‘body-swap’ comedy feature, ‘Tess’ and ‘Anna’ discover that lightning may indeed strike twice…

“…as they navigate the myriad challenges that come when two families ‘merge’…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

"I didn't want to be a part of this family, and now I'm part of some dodgy family curse?!" Well, yep... Disney has unveiled the main official trailer for Freakier Friday, another long-awaited legacy sequel out in theaters soon. This is a follow-up to the hit comedy classic Freaky Friday from 2003, now 22 years later they're picking up where things left off with mother and daughter. This summer is about to get Freakier. Ready to crash into theaters this August! Years after Tess & Anna's identity crisis, Anna now has a daughter and soon-to-be stepdaughter. As they navigate the challenges that come when two families merge, Tess and Anna discover that lightning might strike twice. Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan return as Tess and Anna once again, along with 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.

On a list of the best body swap movies, Freaky Friday will always rank high. The 2003 fantasy comedy film, starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, was a commercial hit. Twenty-two years later, the sequel, Freakier Friday, is gearing up for its highly anticipated August 8, 2025, release date. Fans of the film aren't the only ones ecstatic about Lohan and Curtis's on-screen reunion as mother and daughter. The duo have been vocal about how their relationship, nostalgia, and motherhood played a part in reviving their beloved roles. For Lohan specifically, being a mom gave her new insight into how to play a mature version of Anna Coleman.

The stars and their characters have grown since viewers last saw them as Anna and Tess Coleman, a mom and daughter who ate fortune cookies and magically switched bodies as a result. Curtis is now an Academy Award winner, and Lohan has broken out of the child star image,...

Freaky Friday and Mean Girlsstar Lindsay Lohan officially signs her first leading role in a television series.

Per Variety, Lohan has signed on to star in and executive produce Hulu's planned adaptation of Sophie Stava's 2025 novel, Count My Lies. The project is being written by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, both of whom have past writing credits on the hit drama series This Is Us. Assuming Count My Lies is greenlit for production, it will mark Lohan's first leading role in a series.

The official logline for Count My Lies reads, "When compulsive liar Sloane Caraway fibs her way into a nanny position for the gorgeous and charismatic Violet and Jay Lockhart, it seems she’s finally landed her dream job. But little does Sloane know, she’s just entered a household brimming with secrets that are about to explode — with potentially catastrophic consequences for all." This falls...

Things got freaky deaky during the final day of CinemaCon today at the Colosseum in Caesars Palace. Bringing the audience the very best of their upcoming lineup, Disney went all out with a little bit of everything for every type of fan. From the animated to the dramatic, it was all there as the studio closed out the four-day event with their presentation. And, while we loved seeing everything they had to offer, it was the nostalgia that really captured our attention, with a new look at the highly-anticipated Freakier Friday. With Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan reprising the roles they first played over two decades ago, the teaser ramped up the energy in the room with the pair’s return to a movie that has long been hoped for by the fandom, particularly with the big return of Jake (Chad Michael Murray).

The switch has already gone down...

“Freakier Friday” is a new live-action, fantasy comedy feature, directed by Nisha Ganatra, as a sequel to “Freaky Friday” (2003), based on Mary Rodgers's 1972 novel, starring Lindsay Lohan, Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Ryan Malgarini, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Stephen Tobolowsky, Lucille Soong, Rosalind Chao and Jamie Lee Curtis, reprise their roles from the original film, plus Julia Butters, Manny Jacinto and Sophia Hammons, opening August 8, 2025 in theaters:

“…in this new ‘body-swap’ comedy feature, ‘Tess’ and ‘Anna’ discover that lightning may indeed strike twice…

“…as they navigate the myriad challenges that come when two families ‘merge’…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

Disney has released the first trailer for Freakier Friday, and it certainly looks like it will live up to the title, with two times the body swapping. Freakier Friday is a legacy sequel to 2003's Freaky Friday, which itself was a remake of a 1976 Disney film of the same name. Freaky Friday starred Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan and a mother and daughter, respectively, who one day find themselves swapping bodies, needing to learn how the other one lives to understand them better and return to their original bodies.

Disney has released the first trailer for Freakier Friday, directed by Late Night's Nisha Ganatra. Curtis and Lohan reprise their roles as Tess and Anna Coleman, respectively. Here, the premise is a double body swap, with Lohan's Anna swapping bodies with her daughter Harper (Julia Butters) and Tess switching with Lily Davies (Sophia Hammons), the daughter of Anna's new boyfriend.

"How do we fix this?!" The ladies are back for more trouble! Disney has revealed the first look teaser trailer for Freakier Friday, yet another new legacy sequel arriving in theaters this summer. This is a follow-up to the hit comedy classic Freaky Friday from 2003, now 22 years later they're picking up where things left off with mother & daughter. This summer is about to get Freakier. Years after Tess & Anna's identity crisis, Anna now has a daughter and soon-to-be stepdaughter. As they navigate the challenges that come when two families merge, Tess and Anna discover that lightning might strike twice. Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan return as Tess and Anna, along with Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Ryan Malgarini, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Stephen Tobolowsky, Lucille Soong, Rosalind Chao reprising their respective roles from the original. With Julia Butters, Manny Jacinto, Vanessa Bayer, and Sophia Hammons joining in this cast.

Los Angeles' Palisades High School, a landmark for pop culture, has burned down in the ongoing L.A. fires. The high school, which has been used as a set for several films including 2003's Freaky Friday and 1976's Carrie, has also had a long list of A-list alumni.

Per Business Insider, the Los Angeles Palisades Charter High School burned down in a wildfire on Tuesday evening, Jan. 7. The ongoing fires have affected many areas in Los Angeles, with many Hollywood stars affected by the natural disaster. A series of iconic landmarks in the industry, including the high school, the Pasadena synagogue, the Bunny Museum, and more have been damaged by wildfires.

Related “We Are Heartbroken”: Billy Crystal Confirms Losing Home of 46 Years to L.A. Wildfires

Monsters, Inc. star Billy Crystal has said he’s “heartbroken” over his home burning down in the Los Angeles wildfires.

The Los Angeles...

Acclaimed filmmaker Quentin Tarantino's admiration for a classic children's Disney live-action film has come to light.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, director Mark Waters, producer Andrew Gunn, and actors Chad Michael Murray, Lucille Soong, Ryan Malgarini, Rosalind Chao, and Christina Vidal talked about 2003's body-swapping fantasy comedy, Freaky Friday, which had its 20th anniversary on Aug. 6. During the conversation, filmmaker Quentin Tarantino's love for the movie was also revealed, as the Oscar-winning filmmaker said as much to Waters.

Related: Quentin Tarantino Shoots Down Hopes of Kill Bill Vol. 3: 'I Don't See That'

Despite his reputation for directing celebrated films like Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Inglorious Basterds, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Tarantino's love for cinema extends to diverse genres, including the realm of Disney. The acclaimed filmmaker had once displayed his affinity for the film's House of Mouse scene to Waters who...

Walt Disney Pictures is developing a sequel to its hit 2003 body-swap comedy Freaky Friday.

As confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, a sequel to the 2003 iteration of Freaky Friday is currently in the works at Disney. Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan are attached to reprise their roles as Tess and Anna Coleman, respectively. Elyse Hollander is attached to pen the script.

Related: Disney Drops Haunted Mansion's First Teaser Trailer

(Freaky) Friday, Never Hesitate

Directed by Mark Waters from a script by Heather Hach and Leslie Dixon, the first Freaky Friday film starring Curtis and Lohan released in theaters in August 2003. It follows Tess Coleman (Curtis), the widowed mother of aspiring teenage musician Anna (Lohan) and her younger brother, Harry (Ryan Malgarini). Tess and Anna's fractious relationship comes to a head when they awake one day to discover they have magically switched bodies. They are forced to quite literally walk...

Blink and you'll miss it! A TikTok user is drawing attention to a particular scene in the 2003 movie Freaky Friday. As fans of the comedy well know, the film is about a single mother named Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her teenage daughter Anna (Lindsay Lohan) who don't see eye to eye. But after they read a fortune that causes them to switch bodies and live a day in the other person's shoes, they gain a new appreciation for each other. Near the end of the movie, Anna's little brother Harry (Ryan Malgarini) is seen arguing with their grandfather (Harold Gould) and they're given a similar fortune. But before the two experience the same fate, they're tackled to the ground.  So,...

Exclusive: Ben Stiller’s Red Hour Films has set Kyle Gallner, best known for starring in Wgn’s series Outsiders, and When We Rise actress Emily Skeggs as the leads in Dinner In America, a punk rock indie comedy. Written and directed by Adam Rehmeier, the film follows two misfits—an on-the-lam punk rocker and a young woman obsessed with his band—who unexpectedly fall in love and go on an epic journey together through America’s decaying Midwestern suburbs.

Mary Lynn Rajskub, Pat Healy, Nick Chinlund, Hannah Marks, Griffin Gluck, Lea Thompson, David Yow, Jennifer Prediger, Ryan Malgarini, and Nico Greetham round out the cast of the film, which is currently in production in Detroit.

Stiller and Nicholas Weinstock are producing for Red Hour, alongside Psh Collective’s David Hunter and Ross Putman, John Covert of Covert Creative Group, and Sam Slater of Burn Later Films.

Exec producers are Haroon Saleem of Red Hour,...

How's this for a freaky Monday?! It seems like yesterday when we first watched Lindsay Lohan try not to strangle her big-screen brother in Disney's Freaky Friday. But more than 12 years after the film became a huge hit, we've found out the irresistible sibling played by Ryan Malgarini has grown up into a mature, handsome young man. At 23 years young, Malgarini is still acting and most recently starred in the TV series Resident Advisors. He also scored roles in Mike & Molly and Bones. This past summer, he traveled to the Los Angeles and Cleveland International Film Festival where his film The Young Kieslowski collected a number of awards. After all of these years, however,...

One of the comedy High-lights of the year, Oliver, Stoned hits DVD and digital August 4 from Uncork’d Entertainment and Bg Pics. A smoke-filled, fast-paced comedy adventure starring Brea Grant (Dexter, Heroes) and Southpaw’s Skylan Brooks, Oliver, Stoned fixes on the trippy antics of 26-year-old Oliver Barnes (Seth Cassell) who, upon discovering his car has been stolen, embarks on a drug fueled mission to track down the perpetrator and restore balance to the universe.

Also starring Ryan Malgarini (Gary Unlimited, How To Eat Fried Worms), Briana Lane (The Real Housewives of Horror) and Larry Cedar (Deadwood, National Treasure: Book of Secrets). Oliver, Stoned is directed by Tom Morris and co-written by Morris and Jaz Kalkat.

Oliver, Stoned hits DVD and Digital – in the Us – on August 4th.

Read More: Laff Review: 'The Young Kieslowski' is Yet Another Pregnancy Comedy A new exclusive trailer for "The Young Kieslowski" finds two students accidentally expecting after a drunken encounter at a college party.  The film follows an intelligent physics student, Brian Kieslowski (Ryan Malgarini), who drunkenly loses his virginity to the equally-inexperienced Leslie Mallard (Haley Lu Richardson). The two soon find that Leslie is pregnant and seemingly wants to keep the child and start a life together. Despite the film's serious premise -- and its grappling with the choice to not have an abortion at a young age -- it's a comedy, relying on Brian's missteps and awkwardness for laughs. The story explores the nature of first relationships, along with how to control unexpected conflict while just being a college student.  "The Young Kieslowski" won the Audience Award at the Los Angeles Film Festival, and will premiere in...

Blind knowledge is probably the best state in which to see “The Young Kieslowski” – not for fear of any plot spoilers, but because its quick synopsis might actually repel viewers before seeing a single frame. Following a geeky college student loses his virginity and impregnates his first girlfriend in one fell swoop -- as “Obvious Child” recently explored, such a premise surrounding that aftermath requires a skillful execution, and initially it seems like director Kerem Sanga’s second feature won’t take a similar consideration. However, just as a slate of recent teen dramas like “The Spectacular Now” or “Perks of Being a Wallflower” have achieved, a helping of real emotion and well-developed characters helps to right the balance, and “The Young Kieslowski” carries on in that tradition. For its majority, the film is much warmer, funnier, and pleasurable than you’d expect, as Cal Tech student Brian Kieslowski (Ryan Malgarini...

When college freshman Brian (Ryan Malgarini) meets Leslie (Haley Lu Richardson), a drunken talkative girl at a party, they both experience their first intimate encounter. Their special night forms an intense connection between them at least for that night. But when the news of an unexpected pregnancy comes knocking at their door, their follow-up plans are conflicting. Furthermore, it is not an ordinary ordeal. Leslie is expecting twins. She wants to keep them. He doesn’t, but he is too afraid to voice his wishes and plays a part he wasn’t prepared for at all. In Kerem Sanga’s debut feature the “The Young Kieslowski”, comedy is the vehicle for the characters to grapple with their new life-changing circumstances. Can they make it work? Will their parents approve? Or will they crumble at the face of just difficult premise?

Director Kerem Sanga, producer Danny Leiner ("Dude, Where's My Car?," "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle") and stars Ryan Malgarini and Haley Lu Richardson shared with us their thoughts on this amusing story about decisions, unpredictable fate, and the uncertainty of young love.

The film premiered at Laff on Saturday June 14th and it screens again tonight at 6:30 Pm at the Regal L.A. Live Theaters

Carlos Aguilar: What’s the origin of the film? Does it come from anything personal or simply your desire to explore this complex relationship?

Karem Sanga: My dad and my mother got pregnant with my twin brother and me when they were in college. I though it would be pretty fun to write a movie about that and give it different characters and different situations.

Although this is fictional, my dad told me that the feeling after my mother told she was pregnant was a kind of daze. Like Brian in the film, he was just looking at everybody else and wanting to be one of them.

Aguilar: While writing the film and in the actors’ case while reading the script, did you put think of what you would have done in the characters’ situation?

My dad had a much more supportive reaction, obviously, here I am [Laughs], but then I thought, “Would I have felt that way?” When writing the film I gave in to my darkest impulses. I’d like to think that I’d be very supportive but then I also think that at his age I would have pretended to be supportive.

Haley Lu Richardson : You read something, you see a character, and you put yourself in that position and you find parts of yourself that are similar to that, parts that you can develop and will make this a different character. Especially with good writing, when I read it, it was really easy for me to do that. I started freaking out because I envisioning myself as the character in some of stressful, crazy stuff we had to go through. When a character makes me feel stressed, sad, and to feel like this guy is an idiot from Leslie Mallard’s’ perspective, it is easy to go there.

Ryan Malgarini : I’ve never been told that I was going to have twins [Laughs], as an actor you look at that and you just try to bring similar experiences of the same feeling. Like anxiety and stress, and bring that to the table for a good director like Karem who could really help guide you to how or what it feels like. Even if he hasn’t experience it, maybe some of his feelings of how should be portrayed get passed onto to me and something different is created.

Aguilar: Danny, you’ve worked in various capacities in the industry, particularly in broad comedies. What brought you this project?

Danny Leiner : Karem worked as a Pa in a movie I did in Texas. I met him when he was been starting in the industry and we just became friends during the shoot. When he came to L.A. to go to the screenwriting program at USC we kept in touch. He sent me an early version of this film and I just thought there was some potential there but it needed a lot of work. I encouraged him to really have a go at it and make it something special and that separated itself from everything else. A while later he sent me another version and I thought, “Wtf is this?” [Laughs] “This is amazing” I though it was a beautiful script. I’ve done broad comedy, but I’m just attracted to good material. He took a part of himself to create this, which was an incredible transformation.

Aguilar: Another recent film “Obvious Child” deals with pregnancy but from a woman’s perspective. In that film abortion is the fest solution the character finds for the situation. Did you ever consider that option for your characters?

Karem: I haven’t seen “Obvious Child” but I plan to. The thing about this story that was relatively easy to write was that it had this natural story to it built in, which is the pregnancy.

Did I ever think she might have the abortion? I thought about for about two seconds. I thought I had to honor the source material. I just wanted to see a character that didn’t want to have kids, have kids. I felt like that was a bigger transformation or just a worst premise for someone to go through. I never really considered ending it in any other way. I always had an ending in mind where somebody who’d been fighting this the whole time finally has to accept “Well this is what my life is now”. They say a father doesn’t really feel like a father until he sees the child, while a woman feels like a mother right when she finds out she is pregnant. So I think that was the disconnection the entire movie, he ran away from her.

Ryan: Is a real reaction, is the first thing you want to do when something like that happens, run away! [Laughs]

Haley: And you had no other social skills to know that even though that’s what you want to do, it is not what you are supposed do! [Laughs]

Aguilar: The protagonists’ story goes from a one-night stand to being faced with parenthood in a short amount of time. They are thrown into a serious relationship without having had a chance to have diverse experiences. How do you think this affects their relationship and in turn your performances?

Ryan: I think Karem hit it right on the button with hat comment about the father not feeling like a father until he sees the child for the first time. But you can see there is a change in her as soon as she gets pregnant. I think that the two wavelengths of him not wanting to have kids and her wanting to keep them, creates a nice little battle or subtext on screen. You see us do that fight back and forth which is really nice.

Haley: Because we did have that one night, that was really special to both of our characters, hopefully it is believable that we actually did connect and got attached to things in each other that we had never found in anyone else. We kind of did fall in love a little bit then. I think that night was special and it wasn’t like I was a drunk and he took me home and had sex with me, it was more than that. That’s what held things together, even though there was so much disconnection after that, and you kind of hated him and didn’t know what was going to happen since we didn’t even see each for months and months, hopefully you sill want us to be together at the end because of the special connection.

Ryan: At the end of the day, what held him close to her, even after the news of the pregnancy, was the fact that he really did like her. He truly wanted to see where things could go with her, because he really did care. That’s a nice touch.

Hailey : Before they met each other, neither Leslie nor Brian had probably experienced any connection with any other person. That was a really a special thing.

Karem : It occurred to me after shooting, that they only have three occasions where they spent any time together before they have the kids. They hook-up, a month later she tells him and they spend a little time together, and then months later they see each other.

Danny: The first day of shooting we shot the scene where Haley tells him she wants to keep the kids and he misunderstands her and is relieved. That scene is really cool, and that’s thanks to great writing, directing, and of course great acting. It is a very textured scene.

Ryan : We were able to pull that off because we rehearse a lot

Haley : We were forced! Karem made us [Laughs]

Karem : I think we rehearsed that scene more than anything

Hailey : We needed to figure out what Leslie and Brian’s relationship was going to be like, that was important.

Karem : It was also for me to figure out “Are these people going to listen to what I say?”

Danny : How much can I manipulate them? [Laughs]

Aguilar: The inner voice he struggles with adds an added depth to the character. Where did that voice and the other magical realist elements come from?

Karem : I’d written and I’d thrown in lots of stuff like that while working on the script with David Hunter. I didn’t think, “Is this the right thing to do?” I wondered “What is he thinking?” and stylistically it was about never doing the same thing twice. One time you have the reenactment of what he would have said had he had the guts, another time you have him talking with his voiceover voice, there is like 5 or 6 things like that. The point of view of the voice over is just constantly shifting. Sometimes he is in the future looking back; sometimes he is the devil on his shoulder.

Stories of unplanned pregnancies have an inherent pull to them, especially when the baby’s potential parents are college students. Taking that basic premise and wrangling some laughs, however, is the difficult task set before Kerem Sanga’s “The Young Kieslowski,” a film that succeeds in finding a gentle center, but is ultimately handicapped by its choice of protagonist. Given its festival premiere's proximity to the release date of Gillian Robespierre’s "Obvious Child," it’s difficult not to see the two films as linked. Their setups are not identical, but seeing how effectively Robespierre was able to show the anxieties of a woman facing an unexpected baby, there’s a sense of added pressure in making the experiences of a potential father just as compelling. In this case, that young male is Brian Kieslowski (Ryan Malgarini), an unassuming CalTech freshman unfamiliar in the ways of love and women. At his first college party,...

As part of their current lineup of films, Jason Moring, President of Double Dutch, recently announced it has acquired international sales rights for the comedy Oliver, Stoned. Double Dutch will begin selling the title in the 2014 Cannes Marché du Film.

The film is directed and co-written by Tom Morris. Jaz Kalkat co-wrote the script. The film stars Seth Cassell (General Education), Brea Grant (Halloween II, The Baytown Outlaws), and Ryan Malgarini (Freaky Friday, Gary Unmarried).

This new comedy follows Oliver, the world's biggest stoner. When Oliver loses a high profile car, he is forced to steal an ice cream truck in pursuit. Desperate and with few options at hand, Oliver enlists his wacky friends to help track down the thief before it's too late.

The feature was produced by Morris, Kalkat, and Elliot Feld of Pelican House Productions. This is the second Pelican House production Double Dutch has acquired, the first being General Education.

"In the tradition of great stoner comedies, Oliver, Stoned is a riotous, high-energy film," says Jason Moring, President of Double Dutch, "Filmgoers are going to laugh until they cry when they see just what Oliver's merry band of misfits are willing to do to help out a friend."

About Double Dutch:

Double Dutch International (Ddi) is a globally recognized sales company, representing high level, cast driven features with strong commercial viability worldwide, across all media platforms. Ddi's brings a fresh look to sales, uniquely blending experience with the flexibility to adapt in today's market reality. We find enthusiastic and creative distribution partners for our producers ensuring maximum exposure and return for each film.

Exclusive: Double Dutch International will commence sales in Cannes on the comedy Oliver, Stoned.

Tom Morris directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jaz Kalkat about the world’s biggest stoner who is forced to steal an ice cream van and enlist his friends in pursuit of a swanky car he has lost.

Seth Cassell, Brea Grant and Ryan Malgarini star. Morris, Kalkat and Elliot Feld of Pelican House Productions produce.

Oliver, Stoned marks the second collaboration between Double Dutch International and Pelican House after General Education.

“In the tradition of great stoner comedies, Oliver, Stoned is a riotous, high-energy film,” said Double Dutch president Jason Moring.

“Filmgoers are going to laugh until they cry when they see just what Oliver’s merry band of misfits are willing to do to help out a friend.”...

Riddle me this. XLrator Media have kindly revealed the new trailer for the John O. Hartman and Nicholas Mross co-directed thriller 'Riddle' which arrives on Video on Demand tomorrow in the Us. And the two biggest highlights of the flick that caught our eye was of course the appearance of 'CSI' and 'Bad Meat' hottie Elisabeth Harnois (below) and the sexy Diora Baird ('The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning', '30 Days of Night: Dark Days'). Harnois plays Holly, a college student attempting to find her missing brother in the town of Riddle, Pennsylvania. Also on board are Val Kilmer playing the town of 'Riddle's sheriff whilst Baird plays his daughter. William Sadler, Ryan Malgarini, Bryan Lillis and Ben Bledsoe all co-star in the release. Check the trailer below....

Tagline: "A mysterious town, a deadly secret." XLrator Media will distribute directors John O. Hartman and Nicholas Morss' Riddle. This film will be available on video-on-demand, DVD and Blu-Ray beginning January 10th. In the film, Holly (Elisabeth Harnois) becomes ensnared in a town cover-up, that involves a local psychiatric hospital. Something or someone awaits Holly in the bowels of this dilapidated building. And, a whole town wants to keep this building's secret in mystery. Fans of suspense can view the film's official trailer below. The clip shows Holly searching for her brother. Nathan (Ryan Malgarini) disappears and Holly will stop at nothing to find him. View the reel for Riddle below. Release Date: January 10th, 2013 (Video-on-demand) and February 12th, 2013 (DVD, Blu-Ray). Directors: John O. Hartman and Nicholas Mross. Writers: Brian Hartman, John O. Hartman, Nicholas Mross, and Cole Stamm. Cast: Elisabeth Harnois, Val Kilmer, Diora Baird,...

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After two seasons on the air, CBS has pulled the plug on their Wednesday night sitcom, Gary Unmarried. The TV show won't be back in the fall for season three.

Gary Unmarried revolves around a newly-divorced house-painter and dad, Gary Brooks (Jay Mohr), who's readjusting to the single life. Others in the cast include Paula Marshall, Ryan Malgarini, Kathryn Newton, Keegan-Michael Key, and Brooke D'Orsay.

The sitcom debuted in September of 2008 to a mediocre 2.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 6.84 million viewers. The first season's 20 episodes ended up averaging a 2.2 in the demo and 7.06 million viewers.

Those numbers put Gary Unmarried on the bubble for renewal. It ultimately escaped cancellation, likely because CBS co-produces the sitcom and decided to keep trying to make the Wednesday night comedy block work.

This...

BFFs Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus each earn equally one spot at the Young Artist Awards this year under the television category. The first two are included for their roles in TV movie "Princess Protection Program" while Miley is in for her leading role on "Hannah Montana".

In terms of the number, it is Miranda Cosgrove and her show "iCarly" that earn the most. Beside the actress herself who is nominated for Best Performance in a TV Series by a Leading Actress, the whole cast are nominated for Outstanding Young Performers in a TV Series. Additionally, Nathan Kress and Joey Luthman land a nod each in supporting actor and recurring categories respectively.

However, Nate Hartley adds one for "Hannah Montana" in the guest starring category. As for Gomez's "Wizards of Waverly Place", it is Jake T. Austin who gets a nod, while as for Lovato's "Sonny with a Chance...

Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato are placed in competition against each other at the upcoming 31st Annual Young Artist Awards. As the Young Artist Foundation unveiled this year's nominees, it is revealed that the two Disney stars and best friends are vying for Leading or Supporting Young Actress title in a category for TV movie, mini-series or special.

Both Selena and Demi received the nomination for their performance as Carter Mason and Rosalinda respectively in "Princess Protection Program". Beside each other, they are also up against two other hopefuls, Tori Barban of "The Christmas Hope" and Patricia Raven of "Dear Harvard".

The two teen stars are not the only Disney's leading lady to get nominated for 2010 Young Artist Awards. Miley Cyrus has earned a nod for Leading Young Actress in TV series for her role on "Hannah Montana". She is listed among four other contenders that include the star of Nickelodeon's "iCarly", Miranda Cosgrove.

The family sit-com is one of the standard genres of the TV industry, but as the face of the American family has changed in the 21st century, there will naturally be sit-coms to reflect the new world after the fall of the nuclear family. Created by Ed Yeager, Gary Unmarried tells the story of Gary Brooks, a divorced man with uncomplicated tastes who is trying to start a new life while still firmly linked to his old one. Comedian Jay Mohr portrays Gary as the kind of everyman underdog we often see depicted in situation comedies (The Honeymooners, the King of Queens, etc.). Mohr, one of the creative minds behind Last Comic Standing, has been a cast member of Saturday Night Live, appeared in several films including Jerry Maguire and was a total scene stealer in his supporting role on the Ghost Whisperer. He’s a talented comedian and his...

Part of CBS' Wednesday night sitcom experiment, Gary Unmarried remains firmly "on the bubble" for renewal. The show hasn't exactly been a stellar performer but it's still done pretty well, especially considering its competition.

Gary Unmarried stars comedian Jay Mohr as a newly-divorced dad who's readjusting to the single life. Others in the cast include Paula Marshall, Jaime King, Ed Begley Jr., Ryan Malgarini, Kathryn Newton, and Al Madrigal.

While CBS execs are thinking about whether or not to give the sitcom a second season, there's a big change going on behind the scenes. Creator/executive producer Ed Yeager and executive producer Ric Swartzlander have left the show due to creative differences with the network.

If Gary is renewed, it's expected that co-executive producer Ira Ungerleider and consulting producer Rob Des Hotel will be moved up to showrunners.

The change in staff may be good news for the sitcom. If...

Jay Mohr, Paula Marshall and Jaime King have been tapped to star in CBS' untitled Ed Yeager comedy pilot. Also cast in the pilot are Ryan Malgarini and Laura Marano.

The multicamera project from ABC Studios centers on an easygoing, recently divorced dad (Mohr) who tries to navigate new waters with his ex-wife (Marshall), to whom he was married for 15 years, his kids (Malgarini, Marano) and his new girlfriend (King).

Mohr is a regular on CBS' drama Ghost Whisperer, produced by ABC Studios and CBS Par. As part of his deal to star in the Yeager pilot, that project also will become a co-production with CBS Par.

For Mohr, the Yeager project is in first position. But if the pilot goes to series, there is potential for him also to appear on Whisperer, which has been renewed for next season.

Mohr is repped by Paradigm, New Wave and attorneys Deborah Klein and Andy Galker.

Marshall recently recurred on Nip/Tuck. King is set to reprise her role in the sequel to Sin City.

French Stewart, Beth Littleford and Kay Panabaker have joined the ABC Family pilot Happy Campers.

Rounding out the ensemble cast of the single-camera comedy are Rebecca McFarland, Alessandra Toressani and Ryan Malgarini.

Campers, from Carter Covington (ABC Family's Greek), chronicles the experiences of a family on a cross-country road trip that includes teenager Dylan (Panabaker), her father (Stewart), his new wife (McFarland) and her kids (Toressani, Malgarini). Littleford plays Dylan's mother.

The pilot starts shooting Monday in Los Angeles.

Stewart, known for his role as Harry on NBC's 3rd Rock From the Sun, recently had roles on TNT's The Closer and ABC's Cavemen. He is repped by APA and JC Robbins Management.

Panabaker, who co-starred on WB Network's Summerland, recently appeared in the film Nancy Drew. She is repped by Meredith Fine and Dana Edrick at Coast to Coast Talent.

Littleford was a correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show With Jon Stewart for four years and next appears in the Cartoon Network movie Ben 10: Race Against Time. She is repped by APA and manager Danielle Allman-Del.

Opens

Wednesday, Aug. 6

For an old warhorse, "Freaky Friday" looks darn cute. Disney made the original film, based on Mary Rodgers' novel, in 1977. It starred Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster as a mom and daughter who magically switch bodies and must go through a day in each other's skin. The property was remade for TV in 1995 and, in reality, the concept stretches from 1948's "Vice Versa" to 1988's "Big". Thanks to a script by Heather Hach and Leslie Dixon, the new "Freaky" plays the obvious gags in ways both surprising and imaginative. And Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan appear to be having a blast playing each other's characters for more than half the film.

The update also is a much hipper movie. Fifteen-year-old Anna (Lohan) plays guitar in a rock band and pursues an older high school boy (Chad Michael Murray), while her mom, a widow, is a day away from marrying her boyfriend (Mark Harmon), which does allow for modest sexual tensions. So the PG-rated family comedy should produce solid boxoffice numbers and continue the strong performance in ancillary markets.

Psychiatrist Tess Coleman (Curtis) and daughter Anna see eye-to-eye on virtually nothing. To Anna, her mom is a stressed-out shrink and control freak who is, as she says at least once a day, "ruining my life." To Tess, her daughter is self-centered, ungrateful and way too loud. Then there is Anna's little brother (Ryan Malgarini), who constantly teases and torments her, yet Mom sticks up for him.

A visit to a Chinatown restaurant and the mysterious gift of identical fortune cookies by its meddling though sagacious owner results in "Asian voodoo", which causes the seismic personality switch between mother and daughter the next morning. The two first react to the other's body. Staring at a middle-aged woman in the mirror, Anna shrieks, "I look like the Crypt Keeper!" Tess hollers too when she discovers her daughter's pieced belly button.

To her mother's horror, Anna gives Tess' body a credit card-financed makeover with short hair and hipper clothes. To Anna's shock, her mother wears Anna's hair up and dresses more maturely. Other confusions make for a long day for those who orbit around their lives, especially when each must confront the other's love interest. Naturally, the two learn meaningful things about one another as well. Tess discovers the veracity of her daughter's complaints about school and her passion for her music. And Anna begins to see not only her mother but her mom's fiance in a new light.

Curtis has always had an affinity for comedy, never better displayed than here as she almost literally jumps into acting like a rebellious teenager. Lohan, who played twin sisters in another Disney remake, 1998's "The Parent Trap", plays a different kind of dual role here and does so with remarkable ease, moving back and forth between two personas.

Veteran Harold Gould earns laughs as the often perplexed grandfather. Harmon can do little with such a "straight man" role, but Murray's character is given more comic latitude when he bewilderingly finds himself falling for Anna in her mom's body.

The director is Mark Waters, maker of a Sundance fave, the twisted dark comedy "The House of Yes". It is hard to imagine a more radical shift in tone between these two films, but Waters adjusts quite well, moving the picture along at a brisk clip and giving his performers plenty of room to convey the conflicting demands on their behavior. Music plays a key role as Anna's band actually plays decent rock music. All other technical credits are solid, though the Southern California locations look a tad familiar.

FREAKY FRIDAY

Buena Vista Pictures

Walt Disney Pictures presents a GUNNFilms production

Credits:

Director: Mark Waters

Screenwriters: Heather Hach, Leslie Dixon

Based on the book by: Mary Rodgers

Producer: Andrew Gunn

Executive producer: Mario Iscovich

Director of photography: Oliver Wood

Production designer: Cary White

Music: Rolfe Kent

Co-producer: Ann Marie Sanderlin

Costume designer: Genevieve Tyrrell

Editor: Bruce Green

Casting: Marci Liroff

Cast:

Tess Coleman: Jamie Lee Curtis

Anna: Lindsay Lohan

Ryan: Mark Harmon

Grandpa: Harold Gould

Jake: Chad Michael Murray

Mr. Bates: Stephen Tobolowsky

Maddie: Christina Vidal

Harry: Ryan Malgarini

Running time -- 97 minutes

MPAA rating: PG...