‘The Most Dull Body-Swap Film Ever’: Glen Powell and Justin Hartley Bring 80s Dream Closer Than Ever

The once-neglected genre of body swap films is experiencing a resurgence, and it seems “Freakier Friday”is paving the way. Earlier this January, an exciting concept emerged: a body swap movie featuring Justin Hartley and Glen Powell, under the direction of Richard Linklater. Color me intrigued!

It all stemmed from a simple blunder. Major media outlets sometimes trip up (unlike me, who can easily recognize various actors). During the Golden Globes, one prominent outlet mistakenly identified the “Tracker”star as Glen Powell. Quite the error!

The Hollywood Reporter had difficulty distinguishing between the two actors, leading Powell to poke fun on social media. He tweeted, “I think this is the perfect time to announce that ⁦Justin Hartley and I will be starring in the most boring body-swap movie of all time.”

I think this is the perfect time to announce that ⁦@justinhartley⁩ and I will be starring in the most boring body-swap movie of all time. pic.twitter.com/3WWYwKacar

— Glen Powell (@glenpowell) January 8, 2024

But the fun didn’t end there. During an interview with Richard Linklater, who directed Powell’s film “Hit Man,”the topic of whether he would helm this body swap project came up. He enthusiastically replied, “Yeah, sure. Sign me up… I think it’s clear [Powell is] the body guy of this generation.” Nice move there, THR. Turning a blooper into a film concept I’m eager to see!

The final piece of the puzzle was Hartley’s involvement. Linklater humorously stated that he hopes to start developing the film by year’s end: “I want to be in development and be in production in the fall, [with the] body swap movie with Justin Hartley — if we can get it together.”

Decider took the initiative to connect all the dots by asking Hartley about his interest. He responded positively during their interview, saying, “Yeah, sure. That sounds like fun. That’s funny.”

Alright, now I have some ideas

The 1980s were fond of body swap films, but aside from notable titles like “Freaky Friday”and “Wonder Woman 1984,”contemporary releases have been scarce. A well-executed body swap movie could certainly help revive this quirky cinematic trend.

Having seen their past three successful collaborations, I’d love to watch Hartley and Powell tackle a body swap scenario together. It could genuinely be an entertaining project, humor included.

After the initial error, many online began to seriously entertain the idea of this film. Collider’s Maggie Lovitt couldn’t resist, eager to start scripting it at that moment.

Hang on, let me start writing this script.

— Maggie Lovitt ➡️ NYCC (@maggieofthetown) January 8, 2024

Just for fun, I might mention that I have a performance theatre degree and am willing to take on any role, even if it’s just a tree in the background. Or if we want to channel true ’80s vibes, I could easily sport a side ponytail as a mall-goer.

At this point, it seems our collective energy should be geared towards rallying support for this imaginary film and making it a reality. Perhaps someone could design a poster and start an online campaign similar to Goncharov? Until we can finally see Hartley and Powell share the screen, I think it’s clear that enthusiasm is palpable.

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