Entertainment
A Sequel To 'The Swap' Would Make A Lot Of Sense
When 'tis the season for Halloween TV programming, there's almost no better network to watch than Disney Channel. Must I remind you that this is the network that gave us the holiday classic that is known as Halloweentown? Well, Disney Channel is filling out its annual Monstober block of programming with a new Disney Channel Original Movie that's a little more freaky than spooky. The Swap premieres on Friday, Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. ET on Disney Channel. But in the tradition of Halloweentown, which had three sequels, I just have to wonder if The Swap will get a sequel, too.
Unfortunately, Disney Channel has not announced any plans to air a sequel for The Swap in the future. Hey, the movie hasn't even premiered yet, so maybe we all need to pump the brakes a little here, huh?
But even so, The Swap seems to have a lot going for it in case Disney Channel does decide to make a follow-up to this film. For one thing, the movie's premise is not exactly original, but it has been proven to entertain audiences in the past. The movie revolves around two angsty teens who are not so happy with their lives, hence the reason why they're angsty. Ellie O'Brien (Peyton List) is stressed out about her rhythmic gymnastics team while also having issues with her best friend. Jack Malloy (Jacob Bertrand) just wants to win the love of his dad and brother as he tries to become a star hockey player. Ellie and Jack's text convo about whose life is really the hardest ends with them switching bodies.
Sound familiar? Well, it should. The Swap is totally giving me Freaky Friday vibes with a little bit of She's the Man mixed in. Of course, following Freaky Friday 's formula ins't necessarily a bad idea since it seems to be successful, inspiring remakes of the 1976 original in 1995 and 2003, as well as variations on the premise in movies like The Change-Up , Prelude to a Kiss , and The Hot Chick . Clearly, audiences can't get enough of body swap flicks, so they certainly might want more of The Swap in the future.
Another good sign for the fate of The Swap is that the movie's leads are both Disney stars. List stars in the Disney Channel series Bunk'd , and Bertrand stars in the Disney XD show Kirby Buckets , both of whom should have their own loyal fan followings who will watch The Swap and maybe generate enough interest in a sequel to the movie. Since these two are pretty much in the same TV family, and assuming they'll continue to have a good relationship with Disney Channel in the future, List and Bertrand seem fairly accessible for the network to call on them, should a sequel to The Swap be in the works in the future.
Something that could also certainly help speed up the process to get The Swap a sequel is if the author who wrote the book on which the Disney Channel Original Movie is based, Megan Shull, pens a follow-up novel. The Swap already has a built-in audience since fans of the book will undoubtedly be watching its Disney Channel Original Movie adaptation, so it seems likely that there would be interest in this story continuing in print and then onscreen. Yes, Disney Channel could technically create a sequel for The Swap without Shull penning a new story, but it certainly wouldn't hurt the movie's chances of getting another installment.
Of course, whether or not The Swap gets a sequel will depend on a lot of factors, including ratings, money, and much more. But as you can see here today, there are many reasons why Disney Channel might entertain the idea and not want to swap it out altogether.
Image: Ben Mark Holzberg/MarVista Entertainment
