Key Takeaways

• Film's Status: Jennifer’s Body has transformed from a box office failure to a cult classic over the past sixteen years.
• Sequel Development: Director Karyn Kusama confirmed that screenwriter Diablo Cody is actively working on a sequel.
• Marketing Issues: Amanda Seyfried highlighted that poor marketing significantly contributed to the film’s initial failure.
• Cult Following: Kusama expressed gratitude for the film’s newfound status and its impact on audiences.

Jennifer’s Body was initially considered a failure upon its release in 2009, but over the last sixteen years, the film has developed a passionate cult following who are demanding more. While speaking with Deadline, director Karyn Kusama teased that screenwriter Diablo Cody is working on a Jennifer’s Body sequel.

“I know she’s working on it right now, and I’m very excited to hear what comes of it,” Kusama said. “I know some of the bones of it, so I’m not going to give anything away, but it sounds fun and crazy like the first film. And I have no doubt that Diablo will do something absolutely incredible with it.“

Jennifer’s Body starred Megan Fox as a newly possessed high-school cheerleader who kills and devours her male classmates, with only her childhood best friend (Amanda Seyfried) standing in her way. The film was famously mis-marketed by the studio, which primarily sought to capitalize on Fox’s sex appeal. It did eventually find an audience, and Kusama said she’s “just so grateful” for the film’s new cult status. “For the part of me that has a healthy ego that I try to keep in check, to have Jennifer’s Body be like the antidote to another classic film that I worship,” she said. “But the idea that Jennifer’s Body would be somebody’s Godfather, that just tickles me all the way down to my toes.“

Seyfried commented on the poor marketing earlier this year. “If the critics criticize anything, it would be the marketing,” she said. “The marketing sucked. It just did, and we all agree…The marketing team cheapened it, like it was just, you know, a romp. A gory romp. I think they ruined it.“

Seyfried also thinks that the studio’s mishandling of Jennifer’s Body was ultimately a disservice to both director Karyn Kusama and screenwriter Diablo Cody. “Karyn is a fierce advocate of women in storytelling. She is able to enhance the relationships between women on film and TV. She’s able to mine everything she can, and she’s very, very human, and she’s very sensitive…We were expressing a certain angst in a very, very specific comedic way, in a very specific genre.“

Would you like to see a sequel to Jennifer’s Body?