The queen of rom-coms is slated to produce, write and direct an as-yet-untitled ensemble comedy for Netflix, Deadlinereported. No further details about the film are known. It will be Meyers’ second project for the streamer. In 2020, she reunited the casts of her films Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride Part II along with stars like Robert De Niro, Florence Pughand Ben Plattfor the short Father of the Bride Part 3 (ish) on Netflix to benefit the World Central Kitchen in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. From there, according to Deadline, Meyers maintained her relationship with Netflix and its film head Scott Stuber, which led to the new project. Meyers wrote on Instagram of her upcoming flick, “I guess I’m not retired! Excited!” It’s a welcome return to the genre and the industry for Meyers, who previously said she was essentially pushed into retirement because studios stopped greenlighting romantic comedies. Her most recent film was The Intern, starring De Niro and Anne Hathaway, released in 2015. Meyers, who, in addition to the Father of the Bride franchise, helmed beloved rom-coms like Something’s Gotta Give, The Holidayand Private Benjamin, previously told Vulture, “I haven’t had a new movie in a while, and I’m probably not going to have any more movies … Making movies used to be much more fun. It was always stressful. There was always a lot of money at stake. It was always a lot of personalities. It was always release dates, and get it done, and don’t go over budget, and try to stick to the schedule. There’s always those things, but it was just more fun.” She added, “Once superhero movies really became the only movie studios cared about, the experience of making a movie like mine changed. I remember when I finished The Intern, I thought, ‘I think this is it.’” Her return is one silver lining in an otherwise dark two years, and she’s aware of the impact her movies have had on those staying home. “Since COVID, it’s been a lot of a certain kind of appreciation for my films and the experience that lets them get out of this world for a minute,” she told Vulture. “They’ll show me the movie with a cup of hot chocolate in front of it, or a glass of wine in the frame, or cozy slippers. There’s a lot of that.” Meyers’ trademark sprawling kitchens and lovable, full-bodied characters making a comeback couldn’t come at a better time considering the world needs escapism more than ever, and she knows exactly why—beyond the cocoa and vino, of course. She previously told Parade.com of her stories, “They’re optimistic. If my movies weren’t comedies, they’d be tragedies. I give them happy endings because I want life to turn out that way. I think we all do. We all try to do what’s good for ourselves, our families, our planet and our country. And I try to reflect that in my work. And not to be corny, but there’s a coziness to it,” she said. “You know things will turn out OK.” Next, find out why romantic comedies are making such a huge comeback in 2022!
