13 GOING ON 30 Celebrates its 20th Anniversary with Talk of a Stage Musical on the Horizon

13 Going on 30 Turns 20 as a Stage Version is in the Works

13 Going on 30 is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a fond look back at the movie and its highlights as well as mention of a potential musical version of the film.

When Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo starred in the 2004 body-switch style comedy, 13 Going on 30, it was pure comic magic for movie-goers who enjoyed the film immensely. Audiences may have even gone out and bought Razzles (the candy the characters ate in the movie) afterwards. Now, the actress who played the younger version of Jennifer Garner’s Jenna character in the film, Christa Belle (formerly known as Christa B. Allen) and co-writers of the film, Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa have looked back at the picture in retrospect and talked about what could be to come and their memories of the old movie.

First, and foremost, the big news is that a stage production of the movie could become a reality one day. There were workshops of the aspiring production in London with rehearsals which could escalate into a full production as soon as 2025, according to Goldsmith. That is huge considering the fact that there aren’t any concrete plans at the present time for a reboot movie or a sequel.

When the casting of the first film placed Garner in the lead role, it was rumored that actresses like Renee Zellweger, Gwyneth Paltrow and Hilary Swank were originally considered for the lead part. However, Goldsmith suggested that Garner was always the first choice for the role. Christa Belle resembles Hilary Swank a bit so it wouldn’t have been odd to see Swank in the lead. However, Garner simply lit up the screen and made the role her own. It’s hard to imagine anyone else playing the part the same way.

The part where Mark Ruffalo and Garner danced with other cast members (including Judy Greer) to the song, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” in the 2004 movie was, simply put, inspired. That scene turned out to truly be comic gold. It’s sad to report that the 2004 picture’s director, Gary Winick (who Garner picked to direct the movie, according to Yuspa), passed away over a decade ago due to brain cancer.

The chemistry between Garner and Ruffalo was the first thing that stood out to Goldsmith when he first saw the picture. Belle remembers how great the soundtrack was which is easy to remember even 20 years later with tunes like “Love is a Battlefield” on the original track list. Garner and Ruffalo created a movie-going experience that (so far) stands the test of time through their inspired performances which helped differentiate the movie from similarly themed comedies like Tom Hanks’ Big and the Jamie Lee Curtis/Lindsay Lohan gem, Freaky Friday. Happy 20th Anniversary to 13 Going on 30 and we hope to see a stage musical come into fruition in the not-too-distant future.

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