Nancy Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Owen Wilson, Michael Fassbender and Penelope Cruz
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Nancy Meyers’ return to the director’s chair has begun.
Having not made a film since 2015’s The Intern, the filmmaker known for her elevated romantic comedies is back with a project that’s attracting high-profile talent. Scarlett Johansson is orbiting the lead in Meyers’ upcoming feature for Netflix, multiple sources tell , with Penelope Cruz, Owen Wilson and Michael Fassbender also eyeing the project.
Netflix had no comment.
Meyers will write, direct, and produce the comedy currently known as Paris Paramount, although it’s not clear if that’s the actual title, a working title, or a codename.
Sources say the story follows a talented young writer/director who falls in love with a producer, with the pair eventually making several successful films before romantically and professionally calling it quits. However, the two are forced back together when a great new project arises and they find themselves back together, dealing with high stakes and volatile stars.
There are some parallels to Meyers’ own life. After meeting while working in Hollywood, Meyers had a long-standing romantic and professional relationship with fellow writer, director and producer Charles Shyer. The couple married and had an enviable production that included films such as Private Benjamin, Baby Boom, The Parent Trap and Father of the Bride. Meyers and Shyer split, and Meyers wrote and directed such films as Something’s Gotta Give and The Holiday.
The project is currently targeting a budget in the $130-150 million range – meaning it could be Hollywood’s most expensive romantic comedy – with the studio and filmmakers going back and forth over the cost, Puck first reported . It’s been in the works for some time, with the studio first announcing the feature in April of last year. A previous incarnation late last year had Jennifer Lawrence scouting for the lead role before the Oscar-winning actress dropped out for unknown reasons.
Romantic comedy has long been the mid-budget realm, but Meyers commanded high-end awards for the genre. Their productions have earned a high place in rom-com annals, with Architectural Digest-worthy production design and call sheets from big stars like Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep.
Meyers most recently directed the 2015 comedy The Intern, starring Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro, but hasn’t returned to directing for nearly a decade. (She produced the feature film Home Again, which was written and directed by her daughter, Hailie Meyers-Shyer.) “I’m taking a break,” Meyers said in a 2019 conversation with Mindy Kaling at the annual Produced By conference. She also addressed the disappearance of mid-budget comedies like hers from theatrical market: “The business has changed in ways that I don’t recognize anymore.” Meyers’ canon includes It’s Complicated and What Women Want.
Johansson was last seen in the Marvel film Black Widow and will be cast in the new Wes Anderson film Asteroid City. Cruz is set for Michael Mann’s Ferrari, Wilson is next set to star in the Disney film Haunted Mansion, and Fassbender is set for Searchlight and Taika Waititi’s next goal wins.