There have been rumors of a 9 to 5 sequel for over four decades, but every time the project gets some steam, it falls flat, and original star Jane Fonda knows why.
“We haven’t been able to get a script that we were satisfied with,” she admitted to ET’s Nischelle Turner on Jan. 31 while promoting her current project, 80s for Brady. “If you don’t have a script. You can’t start.”
The original movie, which inspired Dolly Parton’s Oscar-nominated and Grammy-winning song by the same name, premiered in 1980. The feminist office comedy earned over $100 million at the box office and went on to become one of the era’s most iconic films.
Talks of a 9 to 5 part two began in the ’80s. Colin Higgins, the original director, and Superman writer Tom Mankiewicz were set to get the movie going. Unfortunately, not all the stars were set to return, however.
The three leads belonged to Parton, Fonda, and Lilly Tomlin. Parton was completely on board, but Fonda was not, according to Screen Rant.
The ‘9 to 5’ Stars Hope to Make a Sequel Before it’s too Late
In 2005, all three actresses were excited to film a sequel called 27/7, but that plan also fell flat for unknown reasons.
Then it looked like fans were definitely getting the 9 to 5 revival in 2018. That year, Parton shared that the movie was in the works with all three stars returning, and Rashida Jones and Pat Resnick were penning the script. One year later, Parton sadly informed the world that the idea once again died.
To this day, Fonda, Tomlin, and Parton are still optimistic that something will come to fruition, and Tomlin, who was also on hand for the 80s for Brady event, hopes it comes soon.
“We always are holding that secret little sequel, giving it ’50-50′ odds. We’re trying to make it happen before one of us checks out,” she told Turner. “So we hope we pull it off.”
Dolly Parton hasn’t spoken about bringing witty businesswoman Doralee Rhodes back to the screen since the latest failed attempt. But Jane Fonda made it clear that she would be on board with starring alongside the country music star should the opportunity finally presents itself.
“Dolly is so much fun to be with,” she gushed. “She has such a great sense of humor and such a deep soul. She’s very smart and very, very generous and kind and she loves her fans so much. I don’t know I’ve, I’ve really- I love her and admire her and respect her very much.”
