Audiences fell in love with the plight of three overworked women in 1980’s 9 to 5. Modern viewers will get to experience a fresh spin on the tale with an upcoming remake produced by Jennifer Aniston, who hopes that original star Dolly Parton will be heavily involved in the ambitious project.
The original 9 to 5, which includes Parton’s hit song of the same name, starred Parton alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as office workers more than fed up with their “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot” of a boss, played by Dabney Coleman. In April, Variety revealed that Aniston and her Echo Films partner Kristin Hahn are producing a modern retelling for 20th Century Studios. Here’s how Aniston wants to honor the beloved original.
Jennifer Aniston lays out her plans for ‘9 to 5’ and her hopes for Dolly Parton to be as involved as possible
Speaking with Closer, an insider opened up about Aniston and her worries for 9 to 5 and the input she wants from such a key original player as Dolly.
RELATED: Dolly Parton Wants To Be In Jennifer Aniston’s ‘9 To 5’ Remake With Rest Of Original Cast
“Jen wanted Dolly involved in a big way in the 9 to 5 remake but everybody around the project right now, which is currently seeking its director, is preparing for the reality that the only thing the movie might get from Dolly is the right to use her famous classic theme song,” claimed the insider.
“Dolly may have said some nice things about the project in the past but Dolly is old, Dolly still works all the time, and even a small cameo or a brand new song could be asking too much.” Indeed, Parton keeps a very busy schedule, especially now that she’s venturing into the world of makeup production and sales. But she’s also indicated that she and Aniston do align in their hopes, to at least some degree, even if schedules remain nebulous.
But the feelings are mutual, even if the schedules are not
“Everybody knows that Jen holds grudges and never forgets this kind of thing,” the source went on. “but there’s also an upside to this for Jen in that it allows her to put her own very distinct stamp on this movie at a time when Jen is really trying to break back into producing movies thanks to her growing power behind the scenes of The Morning Show.”
2019’s The Morning Show marked Anisotn’s return to television, with her performance on the Apple TV+ series earning Aniston a Screen Actors Guild Award.
“Jen is looking to get this movie green-lit by January,” added the source, “and she’s laser-focused on making this a buzzy, Barbie-like experience, with or without the support of the original trio of 9 to 5 stars.”
Parton so far has been supportive of the remake. “There was some mention she might want to do 9 to 5,” she mused, speaking with E! News, “and I said, ‘Oh, that would be great.'” She added, “I’m hoping they use my song and I’m hoping they might find a way to have Lily, Jane, and me come back in.”
