Copyright Screen Rant
In a recent interview about the script and production of Jennifer's Body 2, the director of the original movie, Karyn Kusama, hinted that Megan Fox, who plays the titular Jennifer in the film, might reprise her role in the sequel. While no timeline has been announced, the interview made me realize this would be the perfect time for a sequel. It has been 16 years since Jennifer's Body was released to lukewarm and dismissive reviews due to a mismatched marketing campaign. It has since undergone intense reevaluation and is now a celebrated cult classic movie that makes viewers stop and watch within just the first few seconds. Jennifer's Body's quotability still keeps it in the zeitgeist so many years later. As a creative horror movie that uses no tropes popular in the genre during its making, Jennifer's Body was truly ahead of its time. The modern opinion of the movie as a major pop culture event in recent history makes now the perfect time for a sequel, especially if Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Karyn Kusama, and Diablo Cody are involved. Jennifer's Body's "Monstrous Feminine" Is A More Popular Trope Today Jennifer's Body follows Needy (Amanda Seyfried) and her best friend, the titular Jennifer Check. They attend a concert by the indie rock band Low Shoulder. The band makes a mistake while performing a sacrifice on an unsuspecting and drunk Jennifer, trapping a demon's soul inside her, which makes her hungry for human flesh. Jennifer then starts seducing and eating schoolboys. The monstrous feminine is an analytical framework through which to critically understand the narratives in which monstrosity and femininity are aligned to reflect the reality of gendered experiences in our misogynistic society. It has also evolved into a storytelling trope today, because a specific canon of films have been made which cater to the analytical framework of the monstrous feminine. While the monstrous feminine as a concept was much more niche and almost exclusively restricted to academic discussions once, it has become a popular trope today. Part of Jennifer's Body's reevaluation has been driven by a larger understanding of the concept by viewers. So, a sequel will be highly anticipated and perform better than the original movie did in 2009. Jennifer is a victim of the band, whose irresponsibility turned her into a cannibalistic monster. However, instead of allowing herself to wilt away, she uses the "powers" her new form gives her and avenges herself. Unfortunately, she eventually targets innocent victims as well. Jennifer's Body's strength lies in its nuanced writing that balances the protagonist's role as victim and perpetrator. Jennifer's Body 2 Can Address Similar Issues With More Maturity If both Amanda Seyfried and Megan Fox return for Jennifer's Body 2, then their complicated friendship will once again be the subject of the story. The characters will also have grown up to accommodate the actresses' ages as well. So, even if it's similar in tone, a sequel can approach the story from the more mature perspectives of adult characters. Jennifer's Body is a horror movie that gets a lot of flak, but I love it because its themes are timeless. Its exploration of women's victimhood in society and its role as a fantastical expression of feminine rage deserve commendation. The same issues that Jennifer's Body addresses are still just as prevalent or have worsened in the past 16 years. While the high school context perfectly complements the movie's analysis of society, Diablo Cody's screenplay makes it clear that this same lens can be extended to incorporate issues more specific to adults. Gender politics are an eternally relevant topic, and Jennifer Body 2 could recontextualize the same fantasy when adult characters are involved, perhaps in a workplace this time. Jennifer's Body Defined An Entire Generation The Good For Her canon of cinema, based on a line from Arrested Development, has grown into a major phenomenon today, with 2025's Companion being the perfect Good For Her movie. Back in 2009, when Jennifer's Body came out, Good For Her as a concept wasn't understood this well, and the trope hadn't become as major a trend yet. So, Jennifer's Body was a cultural reset. Most viewers did dislike it, but the film had picked up a cult following from day one. Within the next five years, Tumblr was flooded with analyses of the movie, the best quotes from it, and moodboards for Jennifer Check's costume and aesthetic. The balance between bubblegum and goth still inspires fashion today.
