Diablo Cody Talks Up ‘Jennifer’s Body’ Reboot, Says ‘Lisa Frankenstein’ Is Set In The Same Universe

It’s impossible to miss the similarity in tone between Diablo Cody’s upcoming horror-comedy, Lisa Frankenstein, and her 2009 film Jennifer’s Body. Both tackle the genre from a specifically female perspective, exploring the tropes of body horrors and zombie films. And now we know that the connection between the movies is much stronger than we knew, at least in Cody’s mind.

While speaking with Deadline at the Lisa Frankenstein premiere, Cody says the film takes place in the same universe as Jennifer’s Body…

“I am just declaring that this movie takes place in the same universe. I have decided that. I will not say that you’d see any overt references to that but I’m saying it.”

In other words, she’s just making it up that it’s a real thing. Hey, why not? They’re her movies, she can do what she wants. She could say they exist in the same universe as Juno and who would we be to refute it?

It’s just amazing how the perception of Jennifer’s Body has changed in recent years, because I guarantee you Cody wouldn’t have wanted to connect ANYTHING to it back in 2009. The film, which starred Megan Fox as a hot gothic high schooler who becomes possessed and begins devouring her classmates, was a box office dud and an embarrassing critical failure.

Jennifer’s Body has become a cult favorite over the year, though, and Cody has begun considering the idea of a reboot. She says Lisa Frankenstein could be the “final push that I need to actually make it happen. It’s hard to get things made these days.”

I doubt any studio would invest in another Jennifer’s Body, but Cody sticking around the horror-comedy realm for a while longer? It seems as if she’s found her groove in this niche, despite being wary of coming back to it…

“I was nervous to get back into that. And then this magical thing happened the last few years where that movie found an audience and people began to really appreciate it. And it gave me the confidence to say, ‘You know what? I never lost my passion for that world and I want to do another one.’ So, I’m here.”

Lisa Frankenstein opens on February 9th, directed by Zelda Williams.

Travis Hopson
Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.