As I sit in my dimly lit office, the glow of my screen casting shadows on a stack of old Variety issues, I can't help but feel a pang of nostalgia. It's been 22 years since Freaky Friday hit theaters in 2003, a scrappy little body-swap comedy that somehow became a generational touchstone. Now, Disney's rolling out Freakier Friday, set for release on August 8, 2025, and the character posters have landed on my desk—four loud, colorful snapshots of a sequel that's trying hard to recapture the magic. I've seen studios pull this trick before, and I'm not sure whether to applaud the effort or brace for disappointment.
A Retro Blast of Purple and Green
The posters scream early-2000s teen flick with their vertical splits of purple and green—a palette that feels ripped from a Lizzie McGuire episode or a Hot Topic clearance rack. It's a deliberate nod to the original's quirky vibe, and I'll give Disney credit: it's bold. But bold doesn't always mean good. These designs are busy, almost chaotic, like a marketing team threw every nostalgic trick at the wall to see what sticks.
- Jamie Lee Curtis as Tess Coleman: Here's Tess, the poised mother from the original, now styled as the “cool grandma.” She's in a brown cardigan—big buttons, cozy vibes—and a floral scarf with green, pink, and white blooms, draped loosely around her neck. A silver chain necklace adds a touch of class. The text at the top reads “JAMIE LEE CURTIS IS TESS,” but someone's scratched out “Tess” and scribbled “LILY” in black marker. Cute. A bit gimmicky, sure, but it hints at the body-swap twist without subtlety.
- Lindsay Lohan as Anna Coleman: Lohan's back, and her poster leans hard into Anna's bohemian roots. She's got a knitted gray beanie, slightly slouched, and a loud patterned shirt—orange, yellow, black, all clashing in a way that feels right for her character. “LINDSAY LOHAN IS ANNA HARPER” is printed cleanly, but “HARPER” is scrawled in jagged black marker. It's rebellious, nostalgic, and a little desperate to remind us who she was in 2003.
- Julia Butters as Harper Coleman: A new face, playing Anna's daughter or soon-to-be stepdaughter. She's in a teal-and-white striped shirt with thin backpack straps, topped with a chunky gray knit beanie. Odd choice for an August release—feels more like a winter look. The text is straightforward: “JULIA BUTTERS IS HARPER ANNA,” with the name in that same handwritten style. It's fine, functional, but lacks the spark of the originals.
- Sophia Hammons as Lily (embodying Tess): Hammons wears a light pink sweater and a white scarf with navy-blue flowers, her hand crossed delicately at her chest. “SOPHIA HAMMONS IS LILY” points to “TESS” with an arrow—another heavy-handed swap hint. She's poised, almost too mature for a kid, which fits the premise but feels predictable.
The Freakier Friday logo ties them together—white “FREAKIER” and red “FRIDAY,” with “ONLY IN THEATERS AUGUST 8” below and a tiny “PG” in the corner. Disney's branding is unmistakable, and the release date's drilled into your skull.
Four-Way Swap: Genius or Gimmick?
The source material teases a four-way body swap—not just Tess and Anna this time, but the grandkids too. It's a twist that could either be a riotous laugh or a narrative trainwreck. The original worked because it kept things simple: a mother and daughter learning to walk in each other's shoes. Expanding that to four players risks losing the emotional thread in a tangle of slapstick. These posters, with their playful text corrections, lean into the chaos—but I'm not convinced chaos is what made Freaky Friday stick.
Curtis and Lohan are the anchors here, and their return is the big sell. Curtis has the gravitas to pull off a quirky grandma, and Lohan—well, it's hard not to root for her comeback, even if the poster feels like a Greatest Hits reel of her past. Julia Butters, fresh off Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, brings some promise, but her poster's too bland to judge. Sophia Hammons has the toughest gig—playing a kid as Tess—and while the design suggests depth, it's still a question mark.
Nostalgia's Double-Edged Sword
I remember catching Freaky Friday in a packed theater back in ‘03. The crowd roared at Curtis's awkward teenage antics, and Lohan's punk-rock rebellion hit just right. It was tight, heartfelt, and didn't overstay its welcome. Now, Hollywood's sequel machine is churning again, and Freakier Friday feels like a bet on nostalgia over substance. The posters are loud, sure, but they're also safe—Disney playing it by the book for a family audience.
Directed by Nisha Ganatra, who's done solid work with Late Night, the film's got a shot at being more than a cash grab. The returning cast—Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, and others—adds continuity, and newbies like Manny Jacinto and Vanessa Bayer could spice things up. But those posters? They're more checklist than art, ticking boxes for brand recognition and plot teases without much soul.
A Cautious Curtain Call
I'm not here to bury Freakier Friday before it screens—God knows I've been surprised before. Maybe it'll land the laughs and heart the way its predecessor did. But these posters leave me skeptical. They're trying so hard to say “Remember us?” that they forget to say something new. Lightning struck once in 2003. Can it strike twice on August 8, 2025? I'll be in the theater, coffee in hand, hoping for magic—but I've seen too many sequels fumble to bet on it.
