Prepare to rediscover the magic of youth and maturity all over again. More than two decades after Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo captivated us with their Razzle-red tongues in "13 Going on 30," a reboot film starring Logan Lerman and Emily Bader is underway, Netflix confirmed on March 24th. Jennifer will serve as an executive producer, while Brett Haley, the director of Bader's former film "People We Meet on Vacation," will helm the project. (Gary Winick, who directed the original film, passed away after a battle with cancer in 2011.)
Released in 2004, "13 Going on 30" follows Jenna Rink (Jennifer), a 13-year-old girl who suddenly wakes up to find herself transformed into the 30-year-old woman she had longed to be. However, after learning that her older self had a falling out with her teenage best friend Matty Flamhaff (Mark) and wasn't the perfect "flirty and thriving" adult she had envisioned, she sets out to create the life she had always dreamed of.
Since starring in this beloved romantic comedy, Jennifer – a mother to Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 13, with ex-husband Ben Affleck – has admitted that the role has stuck with her, with Jenna Rink ranking among her top roles ever.
"How magical," Jennifer said during an appearance on "Not Gonna Lie" last month. "I remember coming up with things in the moment and playing so much. There was so much joy in the creation of her and of that set in general. So yeah, she's up there."
Indeed, the 53-year-old recently noted that "13 Going on 30," which also starred Christa B. Allen and Judy Greer, even exists in the repertoire of her kids' friend groups, who naturally thought it was "cringe."
"I got a couple of calls from sleepovers, like, 'I think I have a headache,'" she added of her kids' reaction. "I'm like, 'A headache? You've never had a headache, but you need me to get you? OK.'"
While Jennifer has signed on to executive produce the reboot, she wasn't always on board with returning to the project. When Ariana Grande included a nod to the film in her 2018 "thank u next" music video, the "Alias" actress dismissed the idea of a sequel.
"What, like '15 Going on 50?'" Jennifer joked during an appearance on "Good Morning America" at the time. "Let's simmer down. Leave well enough alone."
