‘The most boring body-swap movie of all time’: We’re one step closer to a Glen Powell/Justin Hartley 80s dream
The long forgotten art of body swap movies are having a comeback. Thank you, Freakier Friday. But way back in January of this year, another idea was pitched: Justin Hartley and Glen Powell swapping bodies directed by Richard Linklater. Honestly, I’m invested.
It all started by one mistake. Outlets love to do it (couldn’t be me, I know too many actors faces to make a mistake like this). But during the Golden Globes, a major outlet looked at the Tracker star and said “That’s our guy, Glen Powell.” Foolish of them.
The Hollywood Reporter could not tell the two men apart and the snafu had Powell making a joke on social media. “I think this is the perfect time to announce that Justin Hartley and I will be starring in the most boring body-swap movie of all time,” Powell tweeted.
The bit did not stop there. During The Hollywood Reporter‘s interview with director Richard Linklater for his film Hit Man, which stars Glen Powell, they asked him if he’d direct it. “Yeah, sure. Sign me up… I think it’s clear [Powell is] the body guy of this generation.” I see what you did there THR. Turn your mistake into a movie I want to watch right now.
The only missing piece to the puzzle was Hartley. Linklater even joked that by the end of the year, he wanted to be developing the movie. “I want to be in development and be in production in the fall, [with the] body swap movie with Justin Hartley — if we can get it together.”
Decider stepped up to the plate and finally put the puzzles pieces together. Meaning they asked Hartley about it. “Yeah, sure,” he said to them during their Tracker interview. “That sounds like fun. That’s funny.”
Okay well now I have ideas
The 80s really loved a body swap movie. With the exceptions being Freaky Friday and Wonder Woman 1984, we haven’t had that many of them in the modern age. But I do think one done in the right way would really work and help revive some of our weirder cinematic trends.
After Hit Man, I would watch them do anything together. The two have worked on three separate films together and they are all brilliant collaborations. So watching them tackle a body swap movie would honestly be kind of fun, jokes aside.
When the initial snafu happened, many online seriously started to think about it. Collider‘s Maggie Lovitt was ready (and willing) to write it right then and there.
Hey, look, I have a performance theatre degree. I am ready and willing to play a tree in the background. Or if we go really 80s with it, I can be a mall patron with a side pony.
At this point, I think we all have to become cheerleaders for this fake movie and make it happen, right? Can someone make a poster for it and start posting about it online like Goncharov? Until we get to see Hartley and Powell on screen together, at least we know everyone is in.
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