More than a year ago, it was announced that Oscar-winning Juno writer Diablo Cody was set to produce a film based on Violet Karim’s webcomic Death of a Pop Star. Just three months ago, we heard that Cody would be writing the screenplay for a remake of the iconic 1980 comedy 9 to 5. Now, we have updates on both of those projects, as Entertainment Weekly reported that, during an appearance at the San Diego Comic-Con, Cody revealed that she has already finished writing the script for the 9 to 5 remake, but the Death of a Pop Star adaptation is still in the development phase.
Directed by Colin Higgins, who also wrote the screenplay with Patricia Resnick, the original 9 to 5 was an office satire about three female secretaries who decide to get revenge on their tyrannical, sexist boss by abducting him and running the business themselves. The trio, one of whom has been passed over for promotion because she is a woman, spend a night together having drug-induced fantasies of killing the slave-driving chauvinist. One of them panics the following day when she suspects she really has poisoned the tyrant. The film starred Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, and Dabney Coleman.
Speaking of her approach to the 9 to 5 remake, Cody said, “One thing that was really fun about it for me is that the original movie focused on the battle of the sexes and the corporate world. And to me, I see most of the conflict taking place generationally, like Gen Z versus boomers in the workplace, and how now we have this whole generation of people coming up who’ve learned to set boundaries, and that is actually, shockingly enough, a new development. You have other generations out there in the corporate world who we’re told just to kind of suck it up. So there’s definitely a cultural clash there, and I thought, ‘Oh, this seems like it’s so ripe for comedic treatment.’” The remake is being produced by Jennifer Aniston through her Echo Films banner, along with her partner Kristin Hahn, but doesn’t currently have a director or any cast members attached.
As for Death of a Pop Star, Cody is producing that one with Mason Novick while Aron Levitz, David Madden, and Jason Goldberg of Wattpad Webtoon Studios serve as executive producers. Isa Mazzei, who previously wrote and produced the psychological horror film Cam and produced the eco-thriller How to Blow Up a Pipeline, is working on the script.
Death of a Pop Star revolves around Sophie, a gifted but somewhat naive pop star on the verge of superstardom. As she’s about to take her blossoming career to the next level, Sophie tumbles down a flight of stairs and wakes up in Hell. Luckily for Sophie, the Grim Reaper is a fan and, unbeknownst to Sophie, strikes a deal to bring her back to life. However, when management notices the numbers don’t add up, the Reaper must return to the surface to correct his mistake or risk the wrath of the underworld. Things become more complicated when Sophie realizes she didn’t fall down those stairs; someone pushed her! Together with the Reaper and a group of unlikely friends, they attempt to solve the mystery of Sophie’s untimely demise.
Cody said the adaptation will explore pop fandoms and how they can “reach a fever pitch of insanity and become cult-like and scary. I don’t want to give away too much just because we’re still in the development process, but there are forces on earth conspiring to send her back to the afterlife, so she has a lot to dodge. … I’m a big fan of pop myself. (Researching this project) was just observing how those groups move, seeing how they can manipulate everything from charts to the public image of a star. The fans have unprecedented power at this point because they’re able to mobilize on social media. So to make a movie where the biggest fan is this sinister force, the literal devil, just felt timely to me.” She compared the project to Final Destination and said she would love to be able to cast a real pop star in the lead role.
What do you think of what Cody had to say about the 9 to 5 remake and the Death of a Pop Star adaptation? Are you looking forward to these projects? Let us know by leaving a comment below.