Jodie (previously known as Daria & Jodie) was a prospected spin-off/reboot/continuation of Daria that would center around Jodie Landon after she graduates from college. Originally planned to be sold to other networks and streaming services, rather than being aired it on MTV, it was picked up by Comedy Central as a full series on June 18, 2020. It was eventually announced on May 16, 2022, that the series had been reworked into a feature film. On March 5, 2024, TV Line announced that MTV would no longer be pursuing the project. but the movie will be shopped elsewhere.
Plot[]
The official MTV press release for Jodie reads as follows (though it was written before the project became a film so some words have been changed to reflect this):
“What Daria did for showing how inane high school was for Gen X, Jodie will do for exploring the trials and tribulations of a first job for a new generation. The film will satirize workplace culture, Gen Z struggles, the artifice of social media and more. With themes of empowerment along gender and racial lines, explorations of privilege, and a wicked sense of humor, Jodie will shine a light on the personal and professional issues young Black women face today.”
Cast and Characters[]
- Tracee Ellis Ross as Jodie Landon, the iconic character from Daria. Fresh from graduating from college and full of ambition, Jodie heads to the big city for a prestigious internship at tech behemoth, Firstfinity.
- Pamela Adlon as Jocelyn Light, the trailblazing VP of Internet Affairs at Firstfinity whom Jodie reveres.
- Cole Escola as Ryan, Jodie’s intern friend at Firstfinity who is allergic to earnestness.
- Jojo T. Gibbs as Tiffany, who has swag for weeks, lives in Jodie’s building and is Cas’ ex. Despite the name similarities, this is a totally different character from Tiffany Blum-Deckler from the original Daria series.
- William Jackson Harper as Mack Mackenzie, Jodie’s witty and supportive high school sweetheart from Daria.
- Zosia Mamet as Greta, a beachy-waved, self-proclaimed empath and Jodie’s fellow intern at Firstfinity.
- Alex Moffat as Barry, the overeager internship coordinator at Firstfinity who, despite being in his 50s, desperately tries to be Gen-Z cool.
- Dermot Mulroney as Lionel, the powerful and charming CEO of Firstfinity.
- Arden Myrin as Brittany Taylor, the former Lawndale High cheerleader from Daria turned influencer at Firstfinity.
- Kal Penn as Sandeep, another fellow intern who is a fitness-obsessed, tech bro.
- Kofi Siriboe as Raymond, Jodie’s incredibly handsome, but not-so-friendly supervisor at Firstfinity.
- Dulcé Sloan as Cas, Jodie’s fun-loving best friend from college and new roommate. A finance genius and social butterfly, Cas plays as hard as she grinds.
- Helene Yorke as Nia, Jodie’s brown-nosing, fellow intern who will do whatever it takes to get ahead.
Production and Development[]
Announcement[]
Jodie, then Daria & Jodie, was announced in 2018 as a trio of productions from MTV Studios which included revivals of Aeon Flux and The Real World. The original pitch was to have the project center around Daria Morgendorffer and Jodie Landon as co-leads, with an additional pitch to sell this to other networks and streaming services, rather than air it on MTV.
The creator/helm of the new series was announced as Grace Nkenge Edwards, a writer's assistant and story editor for such shows as Ugly Americans, Broad City, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Inside Amy Schumer who previously taught screenwriting at Columbia University.
For over two years, little else was known about the new series. It was unknown if any of the principal writers or voice talent would return, or if the series would be animation or live action.
The MTV press release stated that 'Daria & Jodie' would be a 'reinvention' as opposed to the term 'reboot'. From the release:
"The iconic animated franchise is reinvented through the eyes of heroine Daria Morgendorffer and one of her closest friends Jodie Landon. These two smart young women take on the world, with their signature satirical voice while deconstructing popular culture, social classes, gender, and race."
MTV network president Chris McCarthy told The Hollywood Reporter that rebooting the show with Jodie as co-lead was Grace Edwards' idea: "We brought on Grace Edwards as the writer, and she is a huge fan of Daria. The story she wants to tell of Daria is different, it's about Daria and Jodie and two close friends taking on the world today—Grace Edwards has a point of view and angle she wants to tell."
Comedy Central[]
On June 18, 2020, Comedy Central officially picked up the reboot as part of a revitalization of its animated programming block alongside South Park. The series has been stated to focus on Jodie Landon after she graduates from college. Jodie will be voiced by Tracee Ellis Ross rather than Jessica Cydnee Jackson. Ross will also produce the series. No release date or expected start of production period was announced, or whether Daria Morgendorffer will also be included in the series as initially expected.
In November 2021, it was announced animation studio Awesome Inc. will work on the series as it posted job positions.
Reworking as a Feature Film[]
On May 16, 2022 it was announced by Variety that the series had been reworked into a feature length film. The full main cast and their respective voice actors were revealed in the same piece. This revealed that the characters of Brittany Taylor and Mack Mackenzie will return to appear in the film, though voiced by Arden Myrin and William Jackson Harper instead of Janie Mertz and Amir Williams respectively.
It is unknown when the film will be released, or if it will still be released on Comedy Central as opposed to a theatrical release or a release on Paramount+ like Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe. However, this is likely as Paramount Global (the parent company of Comedy Central) has applied for trademarks with the film, and in this revealed the logo for the film on January 21, 2024.[1] On March 5, 2024 the movie will not be moving to MTVE so the film will be shopped to other elsewhere.[2]
External Links[]
- Original announcement on Variety
- Interview with McCarthy
- Announcement from Comedy Central on IndieWire
- Feature Film Announcement from CBR