Meg Ryan will have her second project as a director and lead in What Happens Later opposite David Duchovny.
Meg Ryan’s experience as an actress for romantic-comedy movies is close to legendary. Her roles in You’ve Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle and When Harry Met Sally have fortified her status as a rom-com actress.
Experience being in front of the camera has given her the insight to work behind it. Her directorial debut movie Ithaca told about a boy taking on a messenger job to provide for his family. The project also had her as one of the supporting characters with Tom Hanks.
Meg Ryan Helms ‘What Happens Later’, David Duchovny Co-Leads
Image: Sony Pictures
Variety reports that Meg Ryan is up to direct another movie as well as be its lead character with David Duchovny. What Happens Later will be her second movie as a director. She will share the screen with David Duchovny featuring a story of romance with the “one that got away” feels. From the American playwright Steven Dietz, his play Shooting Star is the inspiration of the movie in development. Dietz co-wrote the screenplay of What Happens Later with playwright and novelist Kirk Lynn and Ryan. The movie is for 2023 theatrical release of which rights belongs to Bleeker Street. HanWay Films will handle international distribution of the movie.
Jonathan Duffy and Kelly Williams will produce the movie through Ten Acre Films, Laura D. Smith and Kristin Mann are also on board as producers. Andrew Karpen and Kent Sanderson represents Bleecker Street with Kerri Elder and Blake Elder of Rockhill Studios will be executive producers of What Happens Later.
The production already has a logline for the movie and it 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.
David Duchovny plays Bill who is suddenly reunited with Meg Ryan’s Willa at an airport overnight. They are lovers who have already split decades before the momentous meet up. Willa is an independent spirit while Bill is at a crossroads of his life, reassessing his separation from his wife and daughter. Both are reluctant but drawn to revisiting their past. But after the encounter both have to answer What Happens Later?
Meg Ryan Helms ‘What Happens Later’, David Duchovny Co-Leads
Image: Showtime
The tandem of Meg Ryan and David Duchovny is already anticipated by long-time rom-com fans. Duchovny is an actor who is also not a stranger to comedy and drama. His well known portrayal of Agent Fox Mulder in the X-Files left an indelible mark on him as an actor in television series.
But his projects include comedies such as Californication, The Bubble and the animated series 10-Year-Old Tom. There clearly will be a lot of dimension that the pair can bring to the table.
A romantic comedy could be a fresh alternative to moviegoers soon.
