Nancy Meyer's arduous year-long quest to bring her next cinematic venture to fruition has finally reached its zenith. After a saga of intermittent negotiations that spanned at least two years, her untitled project has secured not only Warner Bros. Pictures as its official sanctuary but also an illustrious ensemble and a release date. Penélope Cruz, Kieran Culkin, Jude Law, Emma Mackey, and Owen Wilson will star in the comedy, which Meyers, the filmmaker behind such films as "Something's Gotta Give" and "The Holiday," has written and will direct.
Like many of her other movies, this one too is getting a winter holiday berth. Warner Bros. has set an opening date of Dec. 25, 2027. Meyers gained a loyal following for her glossily affluent, A-list-starring romantic comedies in the 2000s after becoming one of the town's renowned screenwriters thanks to movies such as "Private Benjamin" and "Father of the Bride." She hasn't made a movie since 2015's "The Intern," which starred Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro, but she began trying to get a new feature up and running in the early 2020s. Initially, Meyers found a home at Netflix, but in early 2023, the streamer shut it down over budgetary concerns.
Meyers was reportedly seeking a budget of at least $150 million, but the studio was unwilling to exceed $130 million. It was an exorbitant price tag for a genre that typically falls within the mid-budget range and could have made it the most expensive romantic comedy of all time. At the time, Cruz, Wilson, Michael Fassbender, and Scarlett Johansson were circling roles in the feature, which was titled "Paris Paramount," although it was unclear if that was the actual title, a working title, or a code name.
The project centered on a young writer-director who falls in love with a producer. The pair makes several successful films before breaking up, both romantically and professionally. They are forced back together when a new, great project arises, and they find themselves having to deal with high stakes and volatile stars. It was semi-autobiographical. It is unclear how much the script has changed or what the new budget is.
Warners, which began discussing picking up the project very soon after it was let go, is keeping the logline to the current version under wraps, and insiders say that previous versions were not quite correct. Cruz is coming off the buzzy Sundance Film Festival debut of "The Invite," Olivia Wilde's relationship comedy that also starred Seth Rogen, Ed Norton, and Wilde and was at the center of the biggest sale at this year's festival. A24 won the distribution rights in a bidding war. She next stars in the upcoming Warners release "The Bride!," directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Culkin was one of the stars of HBO's acclaimed drama series "Succession" and won an Oscar, BAFTA Award, and Golden Globe for his performance in Jesse Eisenberg's cousin dramedy "A Real Pain." Law recently starred in Netflix thriller show "Black Rabbit" as well as Star Wars series "Skeleton Crew," and appeared in the ensemble of Ron Howard's 2025 drama "Eden." Mackey starred in James L. Brooks's "Ella McCay," which opened in December. Her upcoming projects include A24's film "Peaked," directed by and starring Molly Gordon, and Greta Gerwig's forthcoming "Narnia" adaptation for Netflix.
Wilson in recent years has gained a comic book following for playing the enigmatic Mobius in the "Loki" series and last year starred in Apple TV's uplifting "Stick."
