Chad Michael Murray’s Idea For A Sequel To This 20-Year-Old Rom-Com Is Great, But It’s Tricky

Summary A Cinderella Story sequel may not work due to the challenge of repeating the original story with the same characters.

Chad Michael Murray's return in a potential Freaky Friday 2 would be more believable and fun for viewers.

Not all rom-coms and teen movies necessarily need a sequel, per Murray's realistic idea for a Cinderella Story follow-up.

Chad Michael Murray has made his return to rom-coms with Mother of the Bride, and he has a great idea for a sequel to one of his most popular rom-coms, but it’s a tricky one to pull off. Chad Michael Murray became a teen icon in the 2000s thanks to different roles on TV and film, beginning with his time on Gilmore Girls as Tristin DuGray. After a minor role in the religious sci-fi movie Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 in 2001, Murray was cast as Jake in Disney’s Freaky Friday, starring alongside Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Murray further established himself as a teen icon with his performance as Lucas Scott in the TV series One Tree Hill, and continued in 2004 with his starring role in the teen rom-com A Cinderella Story and the following year in the horror remake House of Wax. Murray has continued his career in different TV shows and movies and made his big return to rom-coms in 2024 with Netflix’s Mother of the Bride, sparking interest in seeing him in more of these, and he has a great idea for a sequel to one of his most popular ones, but it might not work.

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Chad Michael Murray Has A Good Idea For A Cinderella Story 2

Chad Michael Murray Knows How Austin & Sam’s Story Could Have Gone

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Directed by Mark Rosman, A Cinderella Story is a modern version of Charles Perrault’s classic tale Cinderella, set in modern-day San Fernando Valley. A Cinderella Story follows Sam Montgomery (Duff), whose father Hal, who ran a local diner, died in the 1994 Northridge earthquake, leaving Sam with her stepmother, Fiona (Jennifer Coolidge), and stepsisters Brianna and Gabriella.

Fiona inherited everything and mistreated Sam, forcing her to work for her at the diner and serve her at their house, as well. Sam confided in an online pen pal known to her as “Nomad”, who, like her, dreamed of attending Princeton. “Nomad” turned out to be Austin Ames (Murray), the school’s popular but unhappy quarterback. Sam and “Nomad” agreed to meet at the school Halloween dance, which Sam attended behind Fiona and her daughters’ backs. Sam wore a Cinderella-like dress and a mask, while Austin dressed as Prince Charming.

Instead of losing a shoe when leaving the dance, Sam dropped her phone, prompting Austin to do what he could to find the mysterious Cinderella. After being tricked by Fiona, and Brianna and Gabriella publicly humiliating her with the help of Austin’s popular ex-girlfriend, Sam confronted Austin, leading him to realize he had to stand up for himself and get Sam back. Of course, A Cinderella Story has a happy ending with Austin and Sam getting together and attending Princeton together.

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Murray said Austin and Sam went their separate ways, but now, 20 years later, they could come together again as they have split from their respective partners.

Now, 20 years after A Cinderella Story’s release, Chad Michael Murray has a good idea of where Austin and Sam’s relationship went after the movie. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight at the premiere of Mother of the Bride, Murray said Austin and Sam went their separate ways, but now, 20 years later, they could come together again as they have split from their respective partners. It would be interesting to see what went wrong between them after A Cinderella Story and what brings them back together, but as good as the idea is, it would be nearly impossible to successfully pull it off.

A Sequel To A Cinderella Story Would Have Never Worked

A Cinderella Story Can’t Be Replicated

A Cinderella Story launched a not-quite-successful film series, and none of the subsequent movies could match the popularity and charm of Murray and Duff’s movie.

A Cinderella Story never got a sequel, but it did launch a not-quite-successful film series, each one starring a different actress as “Cinderella”. However, none of the subsequent films could match the popularity and charm of Murray and Duff’s movie, and many of them immediately became forgettable. Despite how simple the premise is, the whole “Cinderella” element of it is actually quite tricky to replicate as it's a story everyone knows quite well. A Cinderella Story succeeded at giving Cinderella a modern and somewhat grounded twist, but the subsequent movies failed at it.

A Cinderella Story 2 wouldn’t just have to find a way to repeat the Cinderella part of the story in a new setting but also with the same main characters who already went through that and know how it goes.

A Cinderella Story sequel would face the same problem, more so as it has the same characters. A Cinderella Story 2 wouldn’t just have to find a way to repeat the Cinderella part of the story in a new setting but also with the same main characters who already went through that and know how it goes. Even if there was a way to make it happen again, it would be hard to believe Austin and Sam would fall into it one more time, 20 years later.

Movie Year Starring Another Cinderella Story 2008 Selena Gomez A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song 2011 Lucy Hale A Cinderella Story: If the Shoe Fits 2016 Sofia Carson A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish 2019 Laura Marano A Cinderella Story: Starstruck 2021 Bailee Madison

Chad Michael Murray’s Return In Freaky Friday 2 Would Work A Lot Better

Jake’s Return In Freaky Friday 2 Would Be More Believable & Fun

Freaky Friday 2 will see Anna preparing for her wedding, but she will now switch places with her daughter and Tess with Anna’s stepdaughter, Lily.

A Cinderella Story 2 might not work despite Chad Michael Murray’s idea, but there’s another popular teen movie getting a sequel in which his return would work a lot better: Freaky Friday. At the end of Freaky Friday, Jake and Anna kissed at Tess’ wedding, implying they finally started a relationship, but just like Murray said about Austin and Sam, it didn’t survive high school. Freaky Friday 2 will see Anna preparing for her wedding, but she will now switch places with her daughter and Tess with Anna’s stepdaughter, Lily.

Tess and Anna could end up crossing paths with Jake again, which would not only be a heartwarming reference to the first movie but would also be more fun as there’s now a double body swap with Anna and Tess, so no matter who he comes across, it would be confusing for him but entertaining for the audience. Not all rom-coms and teen movies need a sequel, but at least Chad Michael Murray gave a realistic idea of what happened after A Cinderella Story.