Jennifer’s Body 2 Just Got A Major Boost, Says Original Director

Jennifer's Body might finally get the second life fans have been whispering about for years. Director Karyn Kusama says Diablo Cody is actively working on a sequel and, yes, the early vibe apparently matches the movie's gloriously unhinged energy.

So, yes: a sequel is happening (in development)

Kusama told Deadline that Cody is developing a new Jennifer's Body. She would not spill story details, but she did give the clearest status update we have right now.

"I know she's working on it right now, and I'm very excited to hear what comes of it. 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."

Quick refresher on the 2009 original

• Megan Fox played Jennifer, a small-town cheerleader who gets possessed by a demon and starts preying on the boys at her school.
• Amanda Seyfried co-starred as Needy, Jennifer's best friend who realizes what's happening and tries to stop her.
• The movie came out to meh box office and a shrug from a lot of critics, then slowly rebuilt its reputation into full-on cult favorite territory.
• Kusama has said the studio sold it the wrong way at the time, and she is genuinely grateful it found its audience after the fact.

Why it stuck around

Kusama gave a lot of credit to Cody's script, which walked a tricky tonal line: actually funny, actually scary, and low-key tragic. She said the core of it — the messy, complicated dynamics of female friendship and figuring out who you are — felt emotionally real, which is probably why the movie landed harder with people years later.

She even joked about legacy in a way only a filmmaker who loves movies would: if The Godfather is a sacred text for her, the idea that Jennifer's Body could function as someone else's equivalent absolutely delights her.

Cast notes and a fun curveball

Kusama shouted out the ensemble — Amanda Seyfried, J.K. Simmons, Amy Sedaris, and Kyle Gallner — and she was especially effusive about Megan Fox, calling her really, really funny and deeply intelligent. According to Kusama, that part let Fox channel all the scrutiny she was under at the time into something pointed and sharp.

Also filed under delightful curiosities: Pete Wentz auditioned for the role that ended up going to Adam Brody. Yes, that Pete Wentz. The timeline really was that wild.

What we still do not know

No plot or casting details yet, and no timeline. Kusama says she knows some broad strokes but is keeping them quiet. The important part for now: Diablo Cody is at work, and Kusama thinks the new idea has the same wild streak that made the first one stick.