Although the original ‘9 to 5′ movie was released 37 years ago, it looks like Dolly Parton’s dreams of a sequel are finally being made a reality. According to Deadline Hollywood, there are serious talks underway about making a follow-up to the 1980 film and it may even star some of the original cast. It has been reported that original screenwriter Patricia Resnick is already on board to co-write the script for the new film. It is likely that she will collaborate on the project with a younger writer so that the sequel will have a concept that is relevant to a younger audience. One name that has been thrown into the mix to co-write the film is actress Rashida Jones.
The storyline will probably center around three young women who are coping with sexism in the workplace. This would mean that three young women would headline the film. However, there are also rumors that the original three actresses are in talks to appear in the sequel. These three actresses are Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin. The report did not specify whether the three actresses would resume their original roles or portray new characters in the sequel.
Parton, Fonda, and Tomlin played three working women in the original film. They were subordinates who regularly suffered at the hands of their boss, who was played by Debney Coleman. Tomlin’s character was hopeful of promotion but got passed over in favor of a male colleague who was less qualified. Parton played Doralee, an attractive young woman, who was verbally abused and routinely sexually harassed by the boss. Sick of their boss’ behavior, the three women decided to abduct him. They then held him captive while they decided how they could expose his corruption to everyone.
‘9 to 5′ was a success both critically and commercially, as it received excellent reviews and grossed $103.3 million from a budget of $10 million. On the American Film Institute’s list of the ‘100 Funniest Movies’, ‘9 to 5′ is listed in 74th position. Dolly Polly was particularly successful from this movie as she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture- Comedy or Musical. Parton also wrote the titular theme song for the film which won two Grammy Awards in the categories of Best Country Vocal Performance- Female and Best Country Song.
Ever since the original was released, Parton has always expressed an interest in a sequel and this led her to write the music and lyrics for ‘9 to 5: The Musical’. This musical show opened on Broadway in 2009 and Doralee was played by Megan Hilty.
Fonda, Parton, and Fonda were reunited in September 2017 as they were the presenters of the 2017 Emmy Awards. Although Parton kept her comment to the evening’s awards, Fonda and Tomlin had a political agenda as they made remarks aimed at President Trump. Fonda spoke first saying that they had refused to be controlled by a sexist and egotistical bigot back in 1980 when they played the film. Tomlin followed with that they were still refusing to be controlled by such a person in 2017.
Fonda and Tomlin both star in ‘Grace and Frankie’, a Netflix series, and have done so since 2015. Fans of ‘9 to 5′ have begged for Parton to make a guest appearance on the show to reunite the three women, but so far, they have been disappointed. The fans will have to wait until the release fo the sequel to see the three women finally reunited on screen.
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