When it comes to film and TV in 2026, there’s nothing more that studios love than making a reboot. Just this year we got a reboot of Malcolm in the Middle, Masters of the Universe, and Scrubs. We’re also expecting to see reboots of Prison Break, Scooby-Doo, and now 13 Going on 30. And if I’m being honest, 13 Going on 30 is the one film that doesn’t need a reboot.
Reboot news when it comes to 13 Going on 30 sparked new conversation after it was confirmed that Jessica Alba will be joining the Netflix reboot. Alba’s role or what the film will be about is being kept under wraps. But we do know that Jennifer Garner, who starred in the original film, is back as an executive producer. Even then, it still doesn’t need a reboot.
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My disdain at the thought of a reboot of 13 Going on 30 partially has to do with the lack of creativity in Hollywood. Movies like Obsession and Backrooms are creative and original stories that show Hollywood that there is a mighty need for original storytelling. But nostalgia is a powerful thing and Hollywood has picked its bones dry to the point where we’re banking on people remembering “thirty, flirty, and thriving” and ignoring how creepy this movie was.
13 Going on 30 sees schoolgirl Jenna Rink make a wish to be all grown up on her 13th birthday. The next day she wakes up and she’s a 30-year-old woman. And right from the jump, this movie goes and puts a child in adult situations with the naked guy in her apartment. And I understand that this is a preview of her adult life and a journey for the audience watching on not letting go of the girl you were and the things you like when you reach adulthood. But this movie still put a 13-year-old in multiple creepy situations and then handwaved it away cuz it’s a cute coming-of-age body swap comedy.
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Then there’s the whole thing between Jenna and Mark Ruffalo’s Matt. Their relationship is explored throughout the movie as she tries to find her bearings when it comes to her career, friendships, and the life she’s built. But at no point could I forget the fact that Jenna did not remember her life between 13 and 30 to get to this point with Matt. So the flirting that is happening between Jenna and Matt is between a 13-year-old and an adult. It’s made all the creepier because she’s acting like a 13-year-old and he’s attracted to her.
Keeping all of this in mind, I do understand that 13 Going on 30 is supposed to be a lesson to 13-year-old Jenna about not wanting to grow up too fast. It’s also a lesson about remembering to have fun, be true to yourself, and don’t forget that fun, creative, and honest version of yourself that you were when you were 13. But this movie could have given us the same message without putting a child in adult situations.
This isn’t the first time either that Hollywood has pulled a creepy move like this. Big with Tom Hanks, I remember watching that as a kid and thought that that was really creepy. Same thing with Emma Stone’s recent movie Poor Things, which oddly enough also starred Mark Ruffalo. Both pushed the boundaries of storytelling and had fantastical elements. But at the same time they inadvertently promoted age gap relationships and normalized these kinds of relationships and the predatory nature of them. And unless the 13 Going on 30 reboot does a major overhaul, they’re just going to be doing the same thing over again but with new actors and better cameras.
For all that, do an original rom-com.
