Crossroads director says she'd 'love' to do a sequel to Britney Spears' first film

Care for a cruise down the great nostalgia highway?

Crossroads, the coming-of-age drama that found pop star Britney Spears and actors Zoe Saldana and Taryn Manning behind the wheel in the infancy of their careers, turns 20 this month. To commemorate the milestone, director Tamra Davis shared memories from the set of the cult favorite with Variety — and revealed that she would "love" to do a sequel amidst long-standing rumors of a Crossroads 2.

Davis said she has "no idea" if it'll ever happen, but added, "It would be fun and I would love it."

However, she'd agree to helm the project only if she could work with the original cast and crew, including a then-little-known writer named Shonda Rhimes, who penned the script before she became a TV tour de force.

"It would have to be everybody original — Shonda and me and Britney — and you would have to get everybody back together," Davis said.

Rhimes also paid homage to the film on Tuesday with an Instagram post for its 20th anniversary.

Crossroads follows three childhood pals (portrayed by Spears, Saldana, and Manning) who after several years apart reunite for a cross-country road trip and rediscover their friendship on their paths to self-realization. Anson Mount, Justin Long, and Hollywood vets Kim Cattrall and Dan Aykroyd also star in the movie.

"That was the thing — we wanted to surround Brit with really talented actors on her first film and that's what we did," Davis said. "And she stepped up, playing opposite each of those people. It was really wonderful."

Crossroads marked Spears' first — and last — big film. Davis surmised that the personal "pressures" the pop star faced during that time may have had a hand in her halting her acting career.

"When we would have screenings for the film with girls, she would see what an impact she had and how this movie really affected people," Davis said. "But I think there was a lot of pressure. Very soon after the film came out, her life kind of came crashing. She and Justin [Timberlake] broke up, and then her mom and dad broke up. Things just started to fall apart around her."

In the years that followed, the pop star would be placed under a court-ordered conservatorship, which was terminated in November 2021 after 13 years. Davis, who tried to keep in touch with the Spears during that time but to no avail, said she was relieved Spears regained her independence.

"It makes me so happy that she has her freedom, but I'm so sad that she had to go through that," she said. "It just breaks my heart up… I wish we could have been there to help her more to get her out of it quicker. And I hope this never happens to anybody else."

Crossroads isn't available to stream on any services, which shocks Davis.

"I can't believe it," she said. "Really, I think it should be. I'm trying to figure out who has the rights because we want to make it happen... We're trying to find out."

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