Jane Fonda knows how to lead an ensemble of iconic ladies, and she’s done it twice already on the 2023 movie schedule with Book Club: The Next Chapter and February’s 80 For Brady. So, thinking back on all the legendary women the actress has worked with, we had to ask her which performer she’d want to join the Book Club that includes Fonda, Mary Steenburgen, Diane Keaton and Candice Bergen. While the Grace and Frankie star’s response was not all that surprising, it was sweet, and Steenburgen had an adorable reaction to her co-star’s answer.
As I’m sure many of you predicted, Jane Fonda explained that she’d love to have Lily Tomlin join the cast of Book Club if they were to add another member. The two have been longtime friends and collaborators, and between 2022 and 2023 they have starred in three projects together – the final season of Grace and Frankie, the dark comedy Moving On and the aforementioned mixed reviewed 80 For Brady. So, when asked who could join the cast if there were to be a third movie, the actress said:
Well, I need a Lily fix.
Immediately, her co-stars agreed, with Steenburgen commenting that they’d all “be fine with that.” Continuing to explain why she’d love to invite Tomlin into the ensemble, Fonda said:
I guess you know, Lily and I, we're supposed to be working together all the time. I also made another movie with Lily last year in between.
I think you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who wouldn’t want to see Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin work together all the time. They’re one of the most iconic duos, and have so much great chemistry together, both on and off-screen. From their first appearance on screen in the legendary 1980 movie 9 to 5 to their long run on Netflix as Grace and Frankie it’s always fun to see them together. Plus, after seeing 80 For Brady and the Book Club sequel, I’m convinced that this dynamic duo should continue to work with other legendary actresses, and a Book Club threequel would be a great opportunity to do that.
The cast of The Next Chapter also is not opposed to the idea of Tomlin joining their cast. For example, Mary Steenburgen explained that Lily Tomlin is a hero of hers saying:
She’s my hero…she's been my acting hero since I saw her in her one-woman show in the early ‘70s.
All these women are heroes and legendary actresses. Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen and Jane Fonda have all won Oscars on top of having illustrious and groundbreaking careers, and Candice Bergen and Lily Tomlin are comedic legends with 35 Emmy nominations combined. Seeing all five of them on screen together would be amazing, and I’m sure all of them would have a blast together. I also think it'd be amazing to add Sally Field and Rita Moreno from 80 For Brady into the mix as well, because seeing all these women in one movie together would be truly iconic.
While Book Club: The Next Chapter didn’t get the best review from us, it’s still a fun movie, and seeing four living legends on-screen together was amazing. However, if there is a third installment in the series, I think they should really take Jane Fonda’s comment seriously, and add Lily Tomlin to the cast.
To see Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen and Candice Bergen as besties living it up in Italy, you can go see Book Club: The Next Chapter in theaters. To see Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin’s most recent collaborations, you can stream 80 For Brady with a Paramount+ subscription, and you can check out all seven seasons of Grace and Frankie with a Netflix subscription.
