Jennifer Aniston Has to ‘Walk a Careful’ Line Amid ‘9 to 5’ Remake Plans Following Dolly Parton’s Death

Jennifer Aniston is more eager than ever to forge ahead with long-delayed plans for a remake of the 1980 comedy 9 to 5 following Dolly Parton‘s death, a source tells Examiner.

“This remake has been [stuck in development] for two reasons,” says the source. “One, Jen’s commitment to The Morning Show has absolutely overwhelmed her schedule, leaving very little time for her to go deep on other projects.”

But with the Apple TV series set to end with season 5, “Jen now has the time to devote to pulling together the package,” the source notes, and in the wake of the beloved country icon’s sudden passing last month after a brief battle with cancer, “the public is already showing renewed interest in the original 9 to 5 film,” starring Parton, 80, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.

That being said, Aniston, 57, “has to walk a careful line in the months ahead to make sure she doesn’t look like she’s exploiting Dolly’s death by continuing to push for this project to get made,” says the source.

The second reason? “Jen and the other producers initially [struggled] to lure in A-list names from the twentysomething age group to attach to the project, despite its pedigreed script by Oscar-winning writer Diablo Cody,” shares the source.

Whether it be Miley Cyrus, Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, or Ariana Grande, “any one of these names attaching themselves to the project would be transformative,” the source says. “A special edge goes to the young women who are also recording artists, because they can follow in Dolly’s footsteps and create an original song for the new film.”

It’s a tall order, but “Jen is not going to let the renewed interest in the classic 9 to 5 go to waste,” declares the source. “She’s already sunk way too much time into this project to allow it to slip through her fingers!”