Freaky Friday director reveals his disappointment on not being called to direct the sequel

The sequel to the classic film of 2003, Freaky Friday, was released this month on August 8, 2025. The sequel is named Freakier Friday.

The original cast is back in its sequel too, including Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan. Several other actors from Freaky Friday, such as Mark Harmon, Rosalind Chao, Chad Michael Murray, Christina Vidal Mitchell, and many others, return to their roles as well. But there has been a major change.

The helmer of the original film, Mark Waters, did not direct the sequel. Neither was he brought in to get involved in the project. In a heart-to-heart interview with Variety, the director gets candid about how he feels about it.

Keep reading to find out more about what Mark Waters says regarding the sequel to Freaky Friday.

"I’m very supportive of them making a great new movie", says the director of Freaky Friday about its fresh sequel

In an interview with Variety, director of Freaky Friday, Mark Waters, talked in detail about the making of the film as well as how he feels about its sequel, Freakier Friday.

For all the stans of the OG film, the sequel has been a gift. After 22 years since the last film, the film has brought back our memories afresh and blended well into today's context. The beauty of the film lies in the fact that the makers did not disrupt the film's originality and its roots to the predecessor film.

In the interview, when the helmer was asked whether he had ever created a sequel to Freaky Friday, he responded by saying:

"I never developed one, no."

Furthermore, in the interview, Mark Waters was asked when, back in 2023, a sequel to the film was declared. It was the time when the film had reached its 20th year since its release. So at the celebratory event, Waters revealed that he was not even invited to the event. He reveals:

"Yeah, unfortunately, I was not invited to the party. I did raise my hand and say I’d love to be involved somehow, even in a kind of godfather aspect or executive producer. But I was not extended an invitation."

After making this unexpected revelation, Mark Waters lets his feelings be known about the sequel. He also talks about how some of the cast of Freaky Friday have responded to his absence, and he also talks about what his current goals as a filmmaker are. He continues:

"I’m very supportive of them making a great new movie. It would have been nice to be involved but now that I’m not, I sort of compartmentalize it for myself. I need to devote my energy to keep making new, original things that are going to be hits and people can remake them in 20 years. So that’s what I’m doing now. You can’t worry about the projects that you don’t do. It certainly would have been fun, and I heard from quite a few cast members while they were shooting, saying, “Where the hell are you, Waters?” I have not forsaken you! I’m sorry."

The sequel, Freakier Friday, has been directed by Nisha Ganatra. Upon its release, the film received a decent rating of 7.0/10 at IMDb and a score of 73% at Rotten Tomatoes.

Mark Waters is currently in the process of making his upcoming film, Hershey, starring Finn Wittrock, Alexandra Daddario, Alan Ruck, and many others. Some of his film credits include the cult classic Mean Girls (2004), Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009), Vampire Academy (2014), and La Dolce Villa (2025), to name a few.