Ryan is set to direct and star opposite David Duchovny in an upcoming film about exes who get snowed in together.
Get your popcorn ready -- Meg Ryan is making her return to rom-coms!
The iconic leading lady is set to direct and star alongside David Duchovny in the upcoming film What Happens Later, based on the play Shooting Star by Steven Dietz. Dietz co-wrote the screenplay with Ryan and playwright and novelist Kirk Lynn.
The rom-com -- which will be Ryan's first since 2008 -- centers on exes Willa (Ryan) and Bill (Duchovny), who are reunited when they find themselves snowed in at an airport overnight. Willa is still a free spirit, while Bill is coping with a recent separation -- but over the course of their night together, the pair is compelled look back on their shared past and revisit any feelings that still linger between them.
"We couldn’t be more thrilled to have the incredible teams at Bleecker Street and HanWay alongside us as we bring this special story to the screen," What Happens Later producers said in a press release. "We believe it’s a look at life and love that audiences the world over will relate to and hunger for in these uncertain times when connection and reconciliation feel more important than ever.”
In in interview with New York Times Magazine back in 2019, Ryan opened up about her success with romantic comedies in the '90s, and how it felt to return to the form after stepping away from Hollywood for several years.
"[Rom-coms were] probably [my strong suit]," she admitted. "I liked doing the alcoholic in When a Man Loves a Woman; I liked doing In rhe Cut; but I was very happy going to a set that was about: How do you find the funny thing? I like that again now, working on a romantic comedy."
The actress also revealed at the time that she was in the process of writing a rom-com to star in. "Hopefully it’s for me to direct. I’m aware now that romantic comedies are confections, but they have construction. There’s architecture," she shared. "It’s not something I was aware of back then."
What Happens Later is set for release in 2023.
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