The 1999 dark comedy cult hit Jawbreaker just recently celebrated its 25th anniversary and the film’s writer and director, Darren Stein, teased that the film could be headed for the movie musical treatment.
During an appearance on the Release Date Rewind Podcast with host Mark J. Parker, Stein was chatting up the film for its special milestone anniversary and he revealed that he’s currently working on a movie musical reboot, adapting his stage musical libretto for a film. The director stressed that the project hasn’t been greenlit by Sony Pictures yet because he needs to get stars attached to the project first.
Stein expressed that his dream cast list for the movie musical includes pop stars Kim Petras, Mary J. Blige, Chloe Bailey (whom he recently had a meeting with about the project), Chappell Roan, and Judy Greer, who co-starred in the original film in her first major movie role. Greer played the geeky Fern Mayo in the 1999 film before she makes the transition into the popular “Vylette” after she stumbles upon the girls’ prank gone wrong involving their best friend and her being gagged with a jawbreaker. Stein would want Greer to portray Ms. Sherwood in the musical adaptation, a role played by Carol Kane in the original film. Stein would also like original stars Rose McGowan, Rebecca Gayheart, and Julie Benz to return in some capacity.
Another change for the movie musical is that Fern Mayo (Greer) would now be Vern Mayo and transgender for the new take on the teen classic. Stein stated, “Fern’s transition into Vylette has felt like the trans experience.” This is where he would like Petras to come in as the pop star is the first openly transgender solo artist to reach number one in the United States with her hit song, “Unholy”, featuring Sam Smith.
Jawbreaker followed the “Flawless Four”, the most popular girls in Reagan High School. On the morning of Liz’s (Charlotte Ayanna) 17th birthday, Courtney (McGowan), Marcie (Benz), and Julie (Gayheart) bind her with ropes and gag her with a jawbreaker in an attempted birthday prank. After placing Liz in the drunk and driving off, the girls head to a restaurant hoping to have a laugh after the prank is revealed but are shocked to find their friend has choked to death on the jawbreaker. The film then follows their lengths to keep the murder a secret.
The film wasn’t a hit upon release, grossing $3.1 million on a $3.5 million budget, but once the film hit home video, the movie became a cult classic that has endured 25 years later with the film’s costumes being celebrated across social media, McGowan’s Courtney Shayne becoming a pop culture icon on various platforms, and the film being reevaluated as a teen classic in the same breath as Heathers and Mean Girls by various publications.
So, what do you think of this idea to make Jawbreaker into a musical?
For more on Movie News, make sure to check back to That Hashtag Show.
