Meg Ryan and David Duchovny are starring in a rom-com together

Ryan will also direct the feature which is titled What Happens Later

By Gabrielle Sanchez  |  May 3, 2022 | 4:45pm
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Meg Ryan and David Duchovny are starring in a rom-com together
Meg Ryan and David Duchovny Photo: Frazer Harrison

Call this manifestation or just pure luck, but like it was written in the stars (and in this piece a couple of weeks ago), Meg Ryan is returning to the rom-com game. With another leading lady of the genre taking on related projects once more, a romantic comedy renaissance may actually be within our grasp.

Ryan will star in the feature What Happens Later opposite The X-Files’ David Duchovny, reports Deadline. The Sleepless In Seattle star will also direct the film, marking her second time in the director’s chair. It’s Ryan’s first film appearance since 2015's Ithaca, in which she made her directorial debut.

The official logline for the upcoming movie reads: “What if late one snowy night you came face to face with someone from your long ago? Someone who once held your secrets, because once, long ago, that person held your heart.”

Duchovny and Ryan will play two exes who are reunited when they get snowed in at an airport overnight.

When Happens Later is based on the play Shooting Star by Steven Dietz. The playwright has teamed up with novelist Kirk Lynn and Ryan to co-write the screenplay.

Jonathan Duffy and Kelly Williams (Sorry To Bother You, I Used To Go Here) are attached as producers alongside Laura D. Smith (I’ll See You In My Dreams) and Kristin Mann (The Quarry). Kerri Elder, Blake Elder, Andrew Karpen, Kent Sanderson are all serving as executive producers.

“To be part of this team, bringing such a popular play to the big screen is a genuine privilege,” Karpen says. “We are beyond fortunate that the project is in the hands of one of the most gifted romantic comedy actors of her generation. Combined with the talent of her co-stars and producers, we are honored to be on this journey and look forward to sharing the experience with audiences next year.”

Ryan is known for her leading roles in multiple Nora Ephron films, including Sleepless In Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, and When Harry Met Sally. She also notably starred in the rom-com Kate & Leopold, opposite Hugh Jackman.

What Happens Later will soon begin production in Bentonville, Arkansas, and is slated for a 2023 release.

 
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