Netflix’s reimagining of 13 Going on 30 just got a lot more star-studded. The streamer has added Jessica Alba to a cast already led by Emily Bader and Logan Lerman, with Deadline first reporting that Alba has signed on in a role that’s being kept firmly under wraps. Jennifer Garner, who starred in the 2004 original, remains attached behind the camera as an executive producer.
Alba wasn’t the only addition. In a separate report, Deadline revealed that Taylor Ortega, Tim Meadows, and Dan Bucatinsky have also joined the project in undisclosed roles, alongside previously confirmed cast member Adeline Rudolph. None of their characters have been detailed publicly, and ScreenRant notes that Netflix has stayed quiet on how any of the new roles connect to the story audiences remember from the original film.
The project comes from director Brett Haley, reuniting with Bader after the two worked together on Netflix’s People We Meet on Vacation. When the reboot was first announced, Haley called the original 13 Going on 30 one of those “rare, perfect films,” according to Variety, and said having Garner on board as a producer carries real weight given her connection to the material. The screenplay comes from Hannah Marks, with revisions by Flora Greeson.
Garner’s involvement marks a shift from her past comments on the idea of revisiting the franchise. As MovieWeb recounts, the actress has long been associated with the role of Jenna Rink, the film’s body-swapping heroine, even as she’s moved on to projects like The Adam Project and reprised Elektra in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Netflix is billing the new film as a reimagining rather than a straight remake, and some early details suggest a meaningfully updated story. According to What’s on Netflix, the lead character has reportedly been renamed and now has an updated family background, being raised by two fathers rather than following the original’s 1987 New Jersey setting exactly. Production began in Los Angeles on June 23 under the working title “Authentic” and is expected to wrap in mid-August.
The original 2004 film followed 13-year-old Jenna Rink, who wakes up as her 30-year-old self after making a birthday wish, only to discover she’s become a successful but ruthless magazine editor who’s drifted from the people who mattered most to her. As Netflix’s own Tudum describes it, Bader and Lerman are stepping into a version of that story that’s being reworked for a new generation, though how closely it will track the beats of the original remains unclear.
With no plot synopsis or release date confirmed yet, fans are left piecing together details from casting news and set reports. But with Alba, Ortega, Meadows, and Bucatinsky now joining an already loaded cast, Netflix appears to be building out a full ensemble around Bader and Lerman ahead of the film’s eventual premiere.
