By Back in late April came the news that Jennifer Aniston is set to produce a reimagining of the iconic 1980 office comedy feature “9 to 5” for 20th Century Studios.
Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin starred as secretaries continually passed over for promotion who kidnap their sexist, narcissistic, lying bigot of a boss (Dabney Coleman). They uncover his embezzlement scheme and a way to cash in on it.
The film was a massive cultural touchstone that turned Dolly Parton into a movie star, delivered a hit song, a five season long TV series remake, and a short-lived 2009 musical.
One thing it never received though as a sequel. One was long talked about but never got out of the early development stage. In a recent interview with People, Tomlin explained it all came down to a lack of a satisfying script:
“We had one official crack at the script. The draft just didn’t work for us. We couldn’t really see the work world today [in the pages]. People work from home. They take gig work. They don’t even know their boss. They’re at home.”
Instead, comes the ‘reimagining,’ which Aniston will produce and Diablo Cody will write the script for. A lot has changed culturally, yet offices can still have horrible bosses, sexism, and overlooked employees – even as the pandemic has made work from home much more common and accepted.
Asked about the reimagining, Tomlin says she’s sceptical even with the talent attached:
“I felt sort of the same way I felt about the musical. You know, part of you feels rejected. You think that character’s yours always. And you could reembody it. It’s going to be tough to make [the movie] happen. My sympathies are with Jennifer and her writer Diablo, who is a good writer.”
Tomlin herself will appear in Netflix’s upcoming documentary “Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution” which looks at how she and other LGBTQ+ comedians used their humor and routines to explore the pain and issues they’ve had over the years.
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