Lisa Frankenstein rises from the grave and into cinemas today, marking the directorial debut of Zelda Williams and the return of Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody, who we haven’t seen since 2018’s Tully.
But Lisa Frankenstein marks a much more special return for Cody, being the first time since 2009’s Jennifer’s Body that the scribe has returned to the horror genre, a move that, according to Cody herself, was made entirely possible by the modern-day—and perhaps overdue—embrace of the Megan Fox-led horror comedy.
Speaking recently to The Wrap, Cody named Jennifer’s Body, which received poor reviews upon its release in 2009, her most personal work and revealed that the reappraisal of the film was what made her want to go back to the horror comedy genre:
“It’s personal. And so it’s really healing for me to see people embrace that movie now. Lisa Frankenstein wouldn’t exist if people hadn’t rediscovered ‘Jennifer’s Body,’ because that’s what gave me the confidence to say ‘OK, I’m gonna go back to that genre again.'”
Cody has even gone as far as to declare that Jennifer’s Body and Lisa Frankenstein take place in the same universe, in case the two films’ status as companion pieces needed to be nailed down any more.
The big question, then: Will the reappraisal of Jennifer’s Body lead to a Jennifer’s Body sequel? If Cody has her way, then yes, absolutely:
“I think if I feel like I have more to say on a subject, which I do with Jennifer’s Body, that I would like to continue with it… I am always out there evangelizing for that movie, trying to get people to believe in it and do something with it. And I hope that eventually I succeed, but I’m very stubborn and annoying. So we’ll see!”
Given how direly the original film was set up to fail on account of clueless studio executives, a sequel would be the second-most welcome emergence of justice indeed. The most welcome? Watching Needy lay a bloody smackdown on Low Shoulder after what they did to Jennifer.
(featured image: Universal Pictures)
Published: Feb 9, 2024 10:12 am